The Second Son
by Akuma no Zanna
Summary: The Yondaime Hokage was known to be a paranoid man, especially when it came to his past and family. When a stranger looking for a man that has been dead for over five years appears at the gates of Konoha, an orphan gains an uncle. (A twisted mystery fic. starring a blonde orphan, a living omen, a brother in a coffin, and many faceless pawns. Full summary inside.)
1. Prologue: His Other Half

The Second Son

Summary: The Yondaime Hokage was known to be a paranoid man, especially when it came to his past and family. When a stranger looking for a man that has been dead for over five years appears at the gates of Konoha, an orphan, who everyone seems to detest, gains an uncle. Now, while a secret that has already taken many lives is being threatened to come into light, one man is determined to redeem himself of a broken oath. No matter the cost. (A twisted mystery fic. starring a blonde orphan, a living omen, a brother in a coffin, and many faceless pawns.)

AN: Okay, my first try at a mystery, I hope it goes well. Anyways, The Second Son will be replacing Broken Blood (until I fix it up). I forgot to mention that I write very slowly (especially when I take my time), so these stories will probably be updated just as slow. Terribly sorry, but that's how I work. As I said from other fanfics, any suggestions or comments are welcomed (criticism as well). Thanks!

Warnings: There may be some language and blood in future chapters as well as child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for this story).

* * *

Prologue: His Other Half

"_Son, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars."_

_-Epictetus_

It was that small simple knock on his door. At first the man thought it was the wind, their village had gotten many warnings in the form of telegraphs to their mayor of the village west of them. Their village had been having recent problems with the weather, the heavy rainfall they had been receiving was flooding their fields and their crops were being ripped from the ground because of the strong wind that would plow through their plants.

The man believed that it had been a broken branch that had been caught by the wind and was being thrown against his door. But then the rhythmic sharp knocks on his wooden door came again, ringing dully in his ears, and he knew that no wind could make that noise.

He stood up and rushed to the door. He slipped the eyehole open and gazed out of the small slot. A muddied figure; about thigh high and dressed in a dark gray cloak; stood by his door. The man openly stared at the small-cloaked child, for what else could it be? He was surprised when the child's hooded head moved upward to look into his eyes. He was shocked by the, oh so familiar eyes that stared through him.

His breath caught in his throat as his hand numbly struggled to open the door. It creaked open and he watched the child slowly step into his humble abode. The little boy shook the water droplets from his coat and dumped the worn out article at his feet.

The man scrambled to pick up the piece of clothing and hung it carefully on the coat rack next to the door. He turned to see the child pick up on of the many papers he had been looking through. He cleared his throat nervously, "When I received your letter, I pictured someone more…older." He motioned for the child to sit down on the couch while he took the chair across from him. The child said nothing and sat down silently, too silently.

"I expected as much, from a civilian. You seemed to have done your research well, I'll give you that." The boy gestured to the papers. The man pursed his lips together and did his best to calmly shuffle his work into a file. "I suppose so." He looked back to the child and forced himself to look at the boy's eyes. "Though I had the impression that you came here for a bargain."

The boy nodded and gave the man a small smile. He didn't like the smile the child was giving him. It reminded him of a creature ready to pounce on his prey.

"A bargain indeed."

* * *

"Minato? What are you doing here? Where is-Oh, no! What happened to your face dear?" The honey haired lady set down her cooking equipment and kneeled down next to her small three-year-old son. A bruise about the size of an adults fist covered the bright blonde haired boys left cheek. It was turning a deep angry purple with a light red tinge circling it.

The boy had tears streaming down his chubby cheeks, though he was desperately trying to rub them away, which only made his eyes puffy and pink. He sniffled loudly and winced when his mother gently brushed the large bruise on his cheek. She glanced knowingly at the kitchen door, her jaw stiffened and she swallowed her desires to cry out loud.

Standing up, she pulled out an ice bag from the freezer and wrapped a soft towel around it. "Lets get that bruise to go away, okay? And then we can get you cleaned up. Would you like some soup?"

Minato shook his head and ran to his mother, clutching at her long dress and began to pull her to the door. "Kaa-san! Please, tou-san and ototō are fighting again! Kaa-san, please! Tou-san is going to hurt ototō badly! I don't want ototō at the hospital again!" He pleaded to his mother, trying his best to push her out of the kitchen.

His mother bit her lip. Minato remembered the word fear. He learned it from his brother. His brother learned it from their mother. Their mother showed it when they were around their father. Right now, he could see the fear on her face. Minato was in fear as well, but more for his brother than himself.

His brother and their father never liked each other. Whenever his brother did something bad or wrong their father hurt him. And whenever their father did something bad or wrong his brother would call it out on him. Minato hated it. One time their father had a bad day at work and came home late. Minato was supposed to of done the chores for that day, and his father got really angry, but his brother lied and said that it was actually his turn to do the chores. It was a week later when he was able to leave the hospital without and life threatening injuries.

Minato knew that the other villagers had their suspicions. But no one dared to say anything about it. Their father was a member of the village's council. He was shown in a good light and high standing. Also, it wasn't like their village had a police force. They were a very small, unknown village that was built near the southeastern boarders of Konoha and were closer to the uncharted land that was directly east of us, though Wave and Whirlpool were north of us, they were too far away to actually cause trouble.

They had no trouble with bandits or missing-nins, the villagers barely even knew how to fight. There really was no reason to. Everything was priced fairly, every family owned a farm, everyone had a house and clothing, they had no orphans; basically, everything was perfect. Almost everything.

Humans were naturally born greedy and selfish. That's what his brother told him. So it didn't matter if you lived in a perfect village and had a perfect life. Humans are destined to live with hate, fear, and pain. Minato didn't like that, he wanted to change everything, to save the world and bring peace to everyone. His brother told him that his dream was useless and that there was no reason for him to want peace.

He said that even with peace, people would destroy it over and over again. He said that without darkness there would be no light, and with light there would be darkness. Minato didn't understand what that really meant, but his determination for peace didn't dwindle, it only grew.

Minato gave up on trying to pull his mother out of the kitchen. Instead, he let go of her dress and dashed out the door, climbing his way up the stairs to the second floor of the house and stopped in front of a closed door. Two nameplates hung from a nail that had been hammered into the wood. One spelled out Minato while the other spelled Satoru.

Minato rested a clammy hand on the doors handle and slowly opened it. He peeked into the darkened room but saw nothing nor heard anything. He reached for the light switch and flicked it on but the single light bulb that was built into their room didn't turn on. "Taiyō-san broke the light bulb, Minato-kun, so watch where you step. I will fix it later this week."

Minato flinched at his brother's cold tone and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. His brother called both of their parents by their first name, yet always added san to their names. If he didn't their father would beat him again.

Minato slowly crawled along the perimeter of the room, he couldn't see anything at all so there really was no way for him to avoid the glass, and edged toward the sound of his brothers voice. "Minato, take a step back and turn ninety degrees to your left." Minato froze and followed his brother's directions. A small thin hand brushed against his and grabbed his wrist. He was suddenly pushed onto something soft and bumpy.

"What have I told you about coming near us when we're arguing? Stay away from Taiyō-san when he's like that. Can't believe he actually hit you this time." Something cold and smelly was smeared over his cheek. Minato flinched at the touch but didn't stop his brother's actions. A strip of gauze was pressed to his cheek while medical tape was applied to the edges.

"Ototō, what happened this time?" Minato questioned the dark, he had no idea how his brother did it, it was like he had night vision. "Nothing, really. He was drunk and I said some things to him that made him mad. Kind of stupid of me, but it was going to happen sooner or later." Minato could hear his brother shuffle through the drawers of his bedside table. A few seconds later he heard a swift scratching noise and saw a flicker of light.

A small match brought light into the room, though it was still quite dim. Minato could now see the soft figure of his brother. Satoru and Minato were twins; looking at each other was like looking at a mirror. They both had the same shaped face, the sharp eyes, and the untamed spiky hair with two ear tails. Though there were some differences, mostly in their coloring. While Minato had bright yellow blonde hair, lightly tanned skin, and sky blue eyes; Satoru had light white blonde hair that looked bleached, pale yet fair skin, and neon teal eyes.

Both boys looked more like their father than their mother. Their father had dull blonde hair, tan skin, and blue eyes while their mother had honey brown hair, fair skin, and green eyes. Though Satoru got his mothers skin and eyes, he and Minato had their father's face and eye structure.

Satoru sighed and pulled out some candles, lighting them with the match, he set them on the small table and began slathering a white almost transparent paste on the many bruises that were beginning to form on his arms, legs, and face. Minato took some of the paste and helped him out, his nose wrinkled at the foul smell, but he continued on his task.

Their mother had been a doctor in her previous village, and had taught him and Satoru all that she knew. After wrapping bandages around the more serious wounds, the two brothers lied down on their single bed and cuddled together under the blankets. The shouting of their parents could clearly be heard from the floor beneath them. "Ne, ototō…do you think we could become a ninja?"

Satoru stiffened next to his brother and frowned in thought, "Why would you want to be a ninja?" Minato ignored the anger that was prominent in his brother's voice, "So we can get out of here. If we became a ninja we could take kaa-san somewhere safer and live together. We could bring peace to everyone if we worked hard enough." Minato could hear his brother growling softly, but then, "If that's what you want, I will help you. But I won't become a ninja, I can't."

There was another reason for their father not liking Satoru. He had a weak heart; if he worked too much he could die. Satoru was never allowed to do anything too strenuous around the house or work on their farm. He did the small chores that a female would do; like cleaning, cooking, doing the laundry. Their father saw him as weak and useless.

Minato just nodded and slowly closed his eyes, letting his mind succumb to the sweet darkness of sleep. Satoru sighed and closed his eyes as well, but he didn't fall asleep. He listened to his parents arguing, the slamming of doors, and then the total silence that always came after a loud fight. He wrapped his arms around Minato, letting the tears he had been holding in slip down his face. "I will always protect you, Minato. Dead or alive, I will always be there for you."

* * *

_Time Skip: 1 Year_

The boy gazed dully at his school cubby. The large black words were scribbled messily all over the small boxes interior. Bits of mud and trash stuck to the bottom of the cubby while dirt, dead insects, and ripped up paper littered the boys feet, having previously fallen from his cubby when he opened it.

The boy sighed tiredly, this happened almost every single day, didn't bullies get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Don't they have a life? He stared at the childish display and calmly pulled his outside shoes from under a pile of dirt and grass. The shoes had been written all over with a permanent marker and thoroughly soaked and muddied.

Behind his back he could hear the shallow whispers and quiet laughter of the children who had huddled up in groups behind him. The sharp stares of the other children burned into his back as they watched him slowly clean out his cubby and shoes. They were expecting him to break out in tears, throw a tantrum, or get angry and start yelling his head off. He did none.

Some of them began throwing taunts at him as he slipped on his damp shoes and placed his inside shoes in his cubby. He paused for a moment and then took his inside shoes and placed them carefully in his school bag. It would be a pretty brainless thing to do if he left his shoes in his cubby.

Everyone fell silent or turned away when a bright haired, blue eyed, and tan skinned boy slammed the classroom door open, not noticing the flinches of the other children when he did so, and flung himself at the other boy who looked almost exactly like him. He clung to the boy's shoulders, resembling a golden furred monkey, and flashed a mega watt smile.

"Ototō! How was your day? Did you get any homework? Do you need help?" The boy patted his brother's arms, which were wrapped tightly around his throat, chocking him. He gave Minato a small smile, notably, the smile didn't reach his eyes, "Perfectly fine, Minato-san. I did get homework, though I have already finished it." Minato slid off his brother, a disappointed look present on his face, "You can't call me that! No san, I don't like it."

"Taiyō-san insisted that I show others more respect. Which reminds me, we should get going, Taiyō-san and Odayaka-san are waiting for us. We wouldn't want to make them wait, Minato-kun." Minato smiled enthusiastically and grabbed his brother's hand, practically pulling him to the school gates. They spotted their parents and walked over to them, "Kaa-san, tou-san! Sorry we made you wait!"

Their mother merely smiled beautifully and knelt down to greet her boys with a warm hug. Their father looked away, not even acknowledging the two boys presence and began to walk away. Odayaka, their mother, gently grabbed their hands, Minato with her left and Satoru with her right, and walked up to their father. Satoru was the farthest away from the man, as always.

"It's alright. We just got here as well. How was your day at school?" While his brother went on explaining to their mother, in very explicit detail, how his day went, Satoru stayed silent. He turned and faced his father. The man caught his gaze and his facial expression went rigid. Both males stared into the others cold and narrowed eyes, a silent conversation of sharp words passed in between them.

"Taiyō, what do you think?" His father turned his gaze to his mother and the two adults began to engage in a conversation. Satoru looked at his brother who was, supposedly, chatting up a conversation with him. He just nodded along, his own mind wandering off into his own thoughts.

* * *

"You know what the other villagers have been saying! They speak about the boy every time they talk to me, and I agree with them! The boy needs to leave; I don't want him living here anymore! It's bad enough that he barely even acts his own age, makes everyone suspicious." His father's words stabbed panic into his heart; he wouldn't be abandoned, would he? "Taiyō. I know he seems a bit different, but that gives you no reason to abandon your own son. He frightens me as well, but we shouldn't just push him out into the streets! Not only would it kill him, but Minato as well!"

"I couldn't care less. That thing is not my child; I want it gone by morning. It doesn't matter to me if it's on the streets or in another village, he will die either way." He could hear his mother standing up from her chair and then a sharp crack echoed from the room and into the hall. He couldn't believe it; his mother had just slapped his father! "Very well. I will be taking him back to my village and we will live there until you sort yourself out. Take care of Minato."

He scrambled from his spot and dashed to his room. A true smile blossomed on his face. He had a bag to pack.

* * *

_Time Skip: 2 Years_

"Aren't you a bit too young to be traveling alone? Where's you're parents? They okay with you doing this?" Bright teal eyes glanced at the aging man in boredom, "I would think so. If they were alive that is." The man flinched at the dull and uncaring tone the boy had used when speaking of his parents deaths. Startled and a bit unnerved, the man just nodded dumbly, "Oh. Um, where to?" The boy hopped into his wagon and settled himself down. "Konohagakure. And as quickly as you can."

* * *

AN: And…done! Yay! God, that took forever. Okay, hope you enjoyed! I will try my best to upload as quickly as I can, but I have old fingers over here (maybe), and they move at a snails pace. I'm so happy that I actually finished one chapter (prologue) that I could cry! (T^T)


	2. Chapter 1: The Perfect Mistake

The Second Son

AN: First chapter, congrats to me! And…holy freaky flying cow! I am seriously overreacting with having people follow or favorite my story (even though it is hardly any). I was in the middle of class and almost screamed (though I did silently scream…I have to admit that there was more than one person who was looking at me oddly, sigh). But at least now I know which story I have to put more attention into. I'll do my best to please my audience, but don't expect too much.

Warning: There may be some language and blood in future chapters as well as child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for this story).

* * *

Chapter 1: The Perfect Mistake

"_A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."_

_-George Bernard Shaw_

_Time Skip_

"Are you sure that going back to that village is a good idea? You've been acting more reckless lately, especially when it comes to those cr-" The man was stopped by a black gloved hand. He looked up to his masked acquaintance with questioning eyes. "You do realize that walls have eyes and ears, right?" His eyes widened before glancing around the loud bar.

Realizing his mistake he turned back to his large mug and knocked his head back, taking a long swing from the metal cup. He slammed the glass back on the table and wiped his mouth with the edge of his stained sleeve. "So do humans. As I was saying, what the hell are you thinking? Your one of our best sources, we can't have you disappearing in the middle of a calm zone! Not to mention what those…people will do when they figure out your true motives."

The masked man nodded slowly, barely even giving the man's words any acknowledgment. He had heard this already, way too many times, from the many others whom he had dealings with. The calm zone was a time period where everyone was in construction of his or her separate factions. They were gathering information, members, money, gaining skills, experience, and recognition. It was the building stage for all gangs or organizations that dealt with the underground. He was a key informant for many underground dealers due to his special…skills.

"I'm going out of business. I have a certain job that needs to be completed in the above. I may or may not be back, it depends on the…my jobs speed rate." He stirred his drink, though both men knew he wouldn't dare drink it. He was like that, never accepting any food or drinks from others. He was even cautious with simple handshakes and such. He was mysterious and suspicious. No one even knew his true identity, yet. "I am going to need your help in the future. Your array of certain skills will be greatly appreciated. Do you accept?"

The man snorted, undoubtedly he had said the very same words to thousands of others. He knew the answer, there really was no other. And it wasn't like he could back out now. "As long as my team wont get any attention from too many above dwellers, you got our services." The masked man nodded and stood up, shortly bowing his head to the man across from him, "Well then, I need to get going. I have something idiotic to do."

* * *

A bleach haired blonde walked up to the large red gates. The paint was chipped at several places and the wood was either moldy or cracked, before it was a solid glossy color while the wood smelled of fresh pines. The sign, which was once written in bold golden letters and decorated by intricate black and red paintings, had faded to a dull yellowish-brown while the once glorious designs were barely visible.

His face twisted to a disappointed frown. He had been to most of the villages thru out the Elemental Nations, main or not, and almost all of them showed at least some pride in their village by making it or the main gates look presentable. He supposed it was due to the fact that Konoha was fairer in many of its policies, and probably didn't expect much tax from the civilians or ninjas. Either that or their money was being wasted on keeping their villagers happy; Konoha had at least twice the amount of population than any other village, only Kumo or Iwa could come close to Konoha's populace if they were combined.

He released his thoughts with a quick shake of his head and sighed. He didn't have time to be thinking about such simple matters. He took one last look at the large gates and swiftly walked past them, shying away from any wandering eyes and into the shadows of the forest. He dashed through the trees, dodging branches and piles of ageing leaves, using short bursts of chakra to speed up his movements.

Due to his skills in spying, infiltration, and interrogation, he was able to find all of Konoha's blind spots. It took a very considerable amount of time, about a whole month, but he had finally gathered all the knowledge that he needed. He reached a blank point in the villages wall and guard stations, double-checking for any presences nearby, he shot a calculative amount of chakra to his feet and sprinted up the wall.

When reaching the to of the stony blockade, the man launched himself into the air. He flipped over mid-flight and began to free-fall down, into the village, his spiky hair whipping out about his head. On landing he flared his chakra, not only protecting his legs from being damaged, but also alerting most, or possibly all, ninja in the village. Even a non-senor or civilian could probably find him now.

He grinned a wide foxy smile, his odd canine teeth shining, and chuckled darkly. Oh, how this reminded him of those childish times with his brother. "Time to run."

* * *

"Hokage-sama! There has been an enemy breach by the western gate. Four ANBU have already investigated the site and are now on the infiltrators trail." A jounin stood before an aging man who seemed to barely be paying him any attention. Instead, he looked far more interested with the pile of paperwork in front of him, "What is their current destination?"

"They are heading toward the northern clan district, but are currently between the middle class district of the village and the market of the western subdivision. Orders, sir?" The elder raised a single gray eyebrow at the jounins miniature speech. He looked up at the man, tossing a pile of papers into the trash bin next to his desk, and relit his smoke pipe. He thought for a moment at the situation. The northern clan district was right next to the Hokage Mountain; it was a forbidden area of the village due to the fact that most of their kages who were a part of a clan had built their clan establishments built there.

As if lightning had struck him, the ageing man stood up frantically. "Send all able ninja, rank chuunin and up! Find the infiltrator immediately! We mustn't allow him to reach the clan district!" The jounin blinked, eyes widened in surprise, and then shot into action. He responded with a quick "Hai!" and disappeared with a quick shunshin.

The man bit the insides of his cheeks nervously. He sat down just as quickly as his jounin had disappeared, and set his hand down firmly on a small square drawer. With a single pulse of chakra, a seal on the drawer glowed and opened. Inside sat a heart sized glass globe. Carefully, he lifted the globe out of the drawer and sent it another pulse…and almost dropped it.

The old man paled to a stark white, as if he had seen a ghost. Then again, the man he had just caught a glimpse of looked almost exactly like another man, a great hero of their village that had died about four years ago. He felt sick to his stomach, yet hope and strangely guilt had found it's way into his heart, making it as heavy as stone.

"Minato."

* * *

He seriously hadn't expected to be caught so soon. He had barely reached the edge of the northern clan district when ten or more ninja dressed in dark uniforms and masks closed in on him, effectively stopping him from escaping in any direction. He supposed it would have been a better idea if he had disguised himself. Now that he thought about it, the villagers who had seen him had acted very strangely.

He grumbled under his breath and eyed the large houses that were just beyond his reach; maybe he could…"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The bleach blonde man calmly turned around to spot an unmasked face in the sea of porcelain white. He kept his features in control and stared at the man who had spoken to him, "And just what was I thinking of doing, sir?"

The man raised a silver eyebrow in what seemed like boredom, his hair was also silver and practically defied gravity; except for his single left eye the rest of the mans face was covered. On the inside, the man smirked mentally, Hatake Kakashi. Fate seemed to be playing tricks on him today. "Maa, something that would end up with you in jail." He almost snorted out loud, his brother had told him all about his favorite little child prodigy. Never shut up about him, actually. "Then I thank you for the warning, but I must be going. There is someone waiting for me just past those houses."

Surprise washed over Kakashi's single eye; damn it was hard to read anything else off of him, before it was replaced by suspicion and…curiosity? That caught his attention, something wasn't right. "I think you may need to come with us for-" He ignored Kakashi's voice and turned his head to the Hokage Mountain, his eyes widening at what he saw. "Shit." He bit his bottom lip and his gaze fell onto the masked nin. He frowned at them; it was obvious that they wouldn't make a move until Kakashi ordered for them to do so, he should-

A serrated knife flew out of his sleeve as he knocked away a murder of kunai that had been flung his way. A foot made its way into his vision and he instantly dropped to the ground, pulling his leg out and swiping at the feet around him. Bodies jumped away and more kunai was hurdled at him. He braced himself, ready to dodge them, when he noticed the small rectangular papers that twirled madly behind the knives.

He swore violently and jumped away as quickly as he could. The tags lit and fire consumed his vision. A deafening explosion ringed in his ears, making his hearing completely shot. He shook his head in hopes of making the ringing go away, but when it did the sound of a thousand chirping birds engulfed his hearing.

He gulped and waited for the dust that had obscured his vision to be blown away. When it was, the sharp points of many short blades and a single hand, which was covered in crackling blue lightning and placed right in front of his heart, greeted him. He forced a somewhat friendly smile onto his face and raised his hands up in surrender, his knife already tucked away in his sleeve.

He gave a dry chuckle to the cold eyes that were burning their way into him, making him feel terribly uncomfortable. "Let's try this again?" He suggested, more in a begging way than actually asking. Kakashi did nothing but nodded his head. A sharp pain spiked into his neck and he felt his body slowly shut down. This definitely wasn't going as well as he had planned it to be.

* * *

"Let's begin with the basics: name, age, birth, that stuff. Come on, I don't got all day." The man stated in a rough way, he was dressed head to toe in black. Along with the trench coat and his muscular physique, the man who was his interrogator was quite the intimidator. "I apologize, but I have no reason to be here and treated like a criminal, despite my previous actions. It was all a misunderstanding."

The man just looked at him with his blank black eyes, and then smiled. Oh, dear kami, there has to be a law that states that certain people are banned from smiling. "That's what they all say. You purposely entered through a blind spot in the wall when you could of went through the gates." He shrugged, "I own no passports of identification papers." The man laughed, another broken law. "You could of requested audience with the kage."

"I know, but I had no idea that it was…I wasn't quite sure that I would be granted access. But I have realized my mistakes and now wish to-" He was stopped by the man with a single glare. He watched the man sit down and pull out a folder. "The Hokage is part of the audience here. Now, your name." It was obviously a command.

He pursed his lips together and took a deep breath. "Teikiatsu. No last name." He glanced at the tall man who was looking at him with slanted eyes. Suspicion was as readable on his face as it would be on a child's. The man just nodded and began to write some words in the file he had taken out.

"Age?" "Twenty-seven." "Birth date?" "Twenty-fifth of January. Year 159 S.W.A." "Height, weight, and blood type?" He groaned in annoyance, "Last I checked…6.3 feet, 138 pounds, and negative B." "Any relati-" It went on like that for a while. He was pretty sure that he even had to measure the length of his fingernails, he couldn't actually quite remember. Being asked questions 24/7 would bore anyone to hell and back. So when he heard the door open and watched as a figure dressed in red and white robes stepped in, he almost smiled in glory.

"Morino-san, you are dismissed. The file can stay." The large man stood up and bowed deeply, showing his obvious respect toward the man, and left in silence. The robed man smiled, his crow-footed eyes crinkling, and took Morino place in the seat. He sat quietly, slowly looking through the file that the Morino man had just filled out. "Teikiatsu-san…if there is anything you would like to include to this or might of forgotten to of mentioned, the room is silenced."

He rolled his shoulders into a shrug, stretching any muscle that he could, and relaxed. He looked into the ageing mans eyes, "Where is the Yondaime, is he off on business elsewhere?" He applauded the old mans excellent control of his facial expressions. The man just nodded slowly with the same patient look on his face that he had walked in with. Though a flash of surprise and pain had passed through his eyes for a split second.

"I am unsure if you had any connections to the man, but our Yondaime Hokage has been dead for over five years." Teikiatsu blinked, his head recoiling in shock while his eyes widened just slightly. "Dead? How?" The man took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, taking his hat off and setting it on the table, he looked right into Teikiatsu's eyes. "The Kyuubi attacked the village and the Yondaime sacrificed his own life to kill it."

Teikiatsu nodded slowly, "Now, Teikiatsu-san, I-" "Kazama. Teikiatsu Kazama. Arashi Kazama was my twin brother." The old man smiled sadly, "I see, I sincerely apologize that I have to be the one to tell you that your brother has fallen on the field. I also have to say that despite your connection to Kazama-san, for the protection of the village I must keep you listed as a criminal."

Teikiatsu nodded, "I would do the same." The man nodded and stood up, taking his hat and file with him. "I still have you listed as a criminal, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will be locked behind bars." Teikiatsu looked at the kage in surprise. "You will be put under constant surveillance and will have to follow some if not many rules. But I believe that will be no problem for you. I will see you soon, Kazama-san."

Teikiatsu couldn't believe his ears; his plan was working yet it was going in a whole different direction. He smiled at the door that the kage had just retreated from. And then he frowned, remembering that his brother was no longer alive. Teikiatsu felt the tears that were already dripping down his face. His head hurt and he felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart.

Kami, forgive him. He had broken the one and only promise that he had desperately wanted to keep.

* * *

"Sarutobi-san, are you sure that this is a good idea. He could be pretending, though he certainly does look like the Yondaime, he could be a sleeping agent." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his head to the crying blonde that sat silently in his metal chair. "Morino-san, I am willing to take a chance with this boy. I can't loose any faith in Minato, I am quite sure that he would never lie to me."

"Namikaze-san never spoke of his family. I had no idea that he had spoken to you about it until now. There is a possibi-" "I know of the risks. And I am prepared to take them. Now, send some medic-nin to bring the young man to the hospital. It looks like he might be going through shock."

Morino said nothing and left, leaving Hiruzen to watch the depressing sight before him. His face was as cold as steel. "Minato…what have you been keeping from your own family?"

* * *

Translations and such:

Arashi= Storm

Kazama= Wind

Teikiatsu= Cyclone

Satoru= to know/understand or enlightenment

Namikaze= Wind and wave

(As for the rest…I'm pretty sure everyone at least has a hint of what they mean.)

AN: Sorry this one is boring. I really had a hard time writing it (please don't leave meeee! It's not my fault! Actually, it is). Curse the person who had created writers block! I seriously rushed this one (I'm uber busy over the next few weeks and wont be able to write anything). Anyways, if you see any mistakes (I'm pretty sure I spelt a name wrong here or there), tell me! Suggestions, comments, and criticism are allowed. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 2: Facing Reality

The Second Son

AN: This is probably going to be my most favorite chapter in a long shot. This chapter is mostly about Minato and Satoru's past, but only as glimpses. Oh, by the ways, I have another story that I'm writing, but this one has Kakuzu in it. Just wanna see if any of you might be interested in it, though it also has an OC as the main character and I haven't really written much. Okay, chapter two! (^u^)

Warning: There may be some language and blood in future chapters as well as child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for this story).

* * *

Chapter 2: Facing Reality

"Oi, brat, got a passport? No ones allowed pass the gates unless they're identified." Satoru blinked slowly, observing the two gate guards before him, and almost smirked. He would hate having to guard the gates of any village and knew that the two guards were thinking the same thing. "Yes, right here."

Satoru held out a thin black book that looked like it had been tossed into a hurricane and worse. The guard on the left, a man with strange green eyes, roughly took it from his hand and quickly skimmed through it. He nodded to himself before taking out another, larger booklet and jotted down some words, before tossing his passport back to him.

Satoru caught the book easily and slipped it away into his dirty coat. The other guard, an older man with pinkish-gray hair, took a quick glance at the booklet and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Another Namikaze? Isn't there another one at the Leaf Orphanage?" The green-eyed guard shrugged, "Who knows. We've been getting way too many war orphans and refuges from other villages. Anyways, you're free to go, if you're moving to the orphanage, the closest one is about fifteen blocks south of us, or something like that."

Both guards went on doing whatever bored guards did, leaving Satoru to his own devices. They never noticed the sharp look in his eyes that had appeared when they started to ramble on about the orphanages and another Namikaze. This time, Satoru allowed a small grin to slowly stretch onto his face.

"I finally found you, Minato."

* * *

"Satoru? Sa-to-ru?" A young Minato pouted at his unresponsive and well-hidden brother. He had been looking for him for ages and hadn't even sensed any residue chakra of Satoru's. He was walking down an unused path around the western gate, kicking up clouds of dust in his wake, when he stopped at the sound of turning pages. A sunny smile bloomed on Minato's face and he took to the trees.

He leaped from branch to branch, following the soft rustling sounds, when he spotted a small pile of books. Minato jumped to the ground and dashed to a nearby tree, "Found you! What are you reading?" Satoru was sitting at the base of the tree, leaning against its trunk, with a large book settled neatly in his lap. He glanced once at Minato before turning his attention back to the book, slowly turning the pages as he read on.

Minato sat next to his brother and lifted the cover before dropping it, "_Technology and What We Know_? Is it interesting?" Satoru sighed and snapped the book shut. He tucked the book under a thin arm and promptly stood up, dusting off any grass or dirt that may of stuck to his clothes. He turned to Minato, who was still sitting, with a look of slight annoyance in his bright teal eyes.

"Minato. I do believe it is getting close to mid-noon, it is about time for you to be heading back to the village." Minato visibly deflated, a look of hurt evident on his face. He stood up slowly and nodded, "I know. I just wanted to spend a bit more time with you. You don't live in the village with me, even though I got my own apartment, and I hardly ever get to see you."

Satoru's cold demeanor softened a bit before a small smile made its way onto his face. "Thank you for the thought, but your graduation exam is tomorrow and I wanted you to be prepared so you can easily pass." Minato brightened and tackled his brother with a bear hug. "You're the best brother in the whole world!" Satoru laughed a bit at his brother's antics. "Sure…Now get going before I have to drag you there."

Minato blinked and Satoru immediately regretted what he said. "You could. As I said before, I have my own apart-" Satoru shook his head and pushed his brother away from him, "No, forget I said anything. We are not arguing about this again, not until you have a hitai-ate with the Konoha insignia on your persona." Minato said nothing. He turned around and jumped onto the tree branches, heading in the direction of his village.

Satoru sighed and dropped to the ground. He set his book aside and rubbed his face with his hands. "Kami knows you deserve a brother far better than me." He shook his head and quickly stood up, gathering his many books, and walked away in the opposite direction of Konoha. He glanced down at one specific book that he had been reading before Minato had found him. _Uzumaki Techniques: Fuinjutsu. _He frowned, "This better not end as a failure."

* * *

"How long until he wakes up?" There was a shuffle of papers and a sharp intake of breath, "Hokage-sama! I apologize I didn't see you there. The patient is currently going through mental trauma, though it is quite odd that the reason he went into shock was from receiving-" the voice stopped. "I understand, but how long will he be in this state?"

There was a short pause of silence before, "Well, now he is phasing in and out of an unconscious state, very similar to a coma, but…um, never mind! He could be up in a few weeks at minimum or a full two or three months at maximum." "I see. Please leave the premises of this room for a moment." There was a quick "Hai!" followed by the opening and closing of a sliding door.

"ANBU Bear. Take ANBU Wolf and go through the Yondaimes history and belongings. You are both given permission to go through any and all files pertaining him and anyone related to him. I want a status report of your findings every other week. Dismissed." There was no response, but the small presence that had been hiding out in the corner of the room had disappeared.

* * *

"It really is a pain. With the chuunin exams next week, my research, and that kami forsaken war that is obviously coming up…Satoru, is this why you never wanted to be a ninja?" Satoru looked at his brother, a look of solemn understanding on his face, and nodded. "But you know that I too am facing some troubling events in my own life." Minato snorted, "Obviously. I have been wondering why there had been so many villages looking to Konoha for help. Does it have anything to do with you're ever growing hoard, I never knew you would stoop so low, Satoru."

Satoru shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Besides, a little manipulation may hurt now, but in the long run, everything will fall into place." Minato looked at his brother, it was like looking at an old man trapped in the body of a teen. "Satoru…about our parents, do you know how they died? Did you know that I would-" Satoru tilted his head to the side and looked at his brother with eyes filled with innocence.

Minato shuddered. But he said no more. Instead he changed the topic, "My team is really troublesome. I worry that we wont be able to make it through the up coming battles." Satoru smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You won't need to worry about a thing except for yourself. I will protect you Minato, so leave all the dirty work to me. Okay?" Minato looked away from his brother and to the setting sun in the sky, "Yeah…"

Satoru glanced at his brother and then looked at the shadowed trees that surrounded them. His eyes glared at the ground while his fists tightened up into small balls. His knuckles were white with the pressure and his nails dug into the skin of his palms. Where did he go wrong?

"_For one must be of the light and of the dark to be of complete balance. But another can reside fully in only the light or the dark if they have one to rely on."_

_-N/A_

* * *

"Hokage-sama…" The quite click of a pen and the soft wisp writing on paper paused, "Did something happen, Mikudo-san?" "Um, not quite. I-I know I wasn't given permission to take any blood samples from the patient. It isn't even in my jurisdiction as a simple nurse in training, but I was curious and he looked-" The voice halted, "Mikudo-san, please get to the point. I have my own duty to get to."

"Oh! Ri-right, I just wanted you to look at this." The sound of a paper being slid across a wooden desk and then being picked up seemed to echo in the silence. "Are you sure about this?" "I would never show you something that is not truthful." Someone let out a soft "Hmm." before slowly letting out a small breath. "You are to not speak of this to anyone. Also, any evidence of this at the hospital or in any files must be eliminated. To not do so would be the end of your life. Are we clear?" "Hai!"

* * *

"Satoru! When did you get here? Why didn't you-wait. How did you get into my apartment without setting off any of the security seals?" Satoru nonchalantly glanced at his brother, a small arrogant smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. The jounin outfit Minato wore slightly piqued his interest before he calmly looked back at the small book he held, shrugging at the same time.

"I had just come back from my travels this evening. I heard that the war had finally come to a start. How's your team fairing? What about that crush of yours? Confessed yet? Have you told any of them about your upcoming promotion to Hokage?" Minato blushed a deep red and stuttered for a moment. Satoru almost had the urge to laugh. Almost.

"How did you figure all of that out? If I remember correctly, you haven't been around for what? Four, five years?" The once embarrassed man had quickly become an irritated if not angry one. "You suddenly tell me that you're leaving on a trip not even mentioning where you're going or what you're doing? I barely know you any more." Satoru flinched at his brother's words. It was true, he sort of did abandon him, and he felt terribly guilty about it.

"It was six years. I am sorry I wasn't there for you. I had…jobs to do. I needed to leave so that I could figure some things out." Kami that sounded lame. "As for knowing many things about you…well, that was pretty easy. I just asked around the village, also, you didn't really hide things very well." Satoru gestured to the rest of Minato's apartment. Minato sighed and sat down in a chair next to his brother. He placed his head in his hands and let out a strangled groan.

"Everything so…confusing. The war hasn't started yet, but it is coming up quicker than we thought. We had to push up a lot of the security and such. The age for the academy graduation was lowered drastically, we're practically sending out mere children. We have already lost some of our men who were doing missions in enemy territory. Even the economy is dropping, the civilians are getting antsy and paranoid." Satoru awkwardly patted Minato's shoulder and the older man looked up to his younger brothers smirking face.

"I picked up some skills while traveling. I'm going to be there for you this time around. I heard that Konoha has a technology and science group or something like that. I'm pretty interested." Minato smiled, "The enemy wont know what hit them." Satoru nodded, a true smile on his face. He will definitely be there for Minato.

* * *

"_Every single time I look at a mirror, I am faced with my greatest achievements as well as my most feared regrets."_

_-N/A_

He stared at the many little glass-like shards that dropped to the floor with the sound of shattering rain. Red liquid dripped from his knuckles and onto the broken mirror bits. His face was as expressionless as a rock wall. "Satoru? Are you alright?" Minato's voice traveled from the hall way and into the bathroom.

Satoru immediately dropped to the floor and began to clean up the mess he had made, "Perfectly fine, don't worry. I was just changing the water in the vase but I accidentally dropped it." He glanced at the blue vase on top the counter, knowing that he would have to get rid of it now. "Oh, okay…um, I need to get going to a meeting, but if you need help-" "No, It's fine, don't be late!"

Satoru paused his actions and sighed gratefully when he heard Minato leave. He sat on the floor and dropped the mirror pieces back onto the floor. He watched the disoriented image of him shift and dance on the glassy surfaces. A broken teal eye there, the reflecting bits of his blonde hair here, and the pale hue of his skin clashing horribly with the speckles of his drying blood.

He tugged at his hair roots while a strange feeling of annoyance and anger seeped into his heart. "I look so much like him." His distraught mind began picking out blurred images in the broken mirror shards. A man with silver hair, a beautiful dark-haired girl, a green-eyed doctor, a small boy with mourning eyes, and those blood-red hands and faces that followed him into his sleep.

He gasped, catching the sight of his dying brother in the hands of- Satoru stood up screaming and stomped a boot covered foot on the pile of bloody shards. He glared at the broken mirror and swallowed down his pitiful whimpers. He slowly calmed down his ragged breathing and then straightened himself out. A small smirk was placed on his face as he shook his head in incredulity. He cleaned up the mess of the floor, washed and bandaged his hands, and left to buy another mirror; throwing a blue vase into a dumpster as he went. "It will never happen again."

* * *

"Minato-sensei? Why are you using a pseudonym? You are going to be the Hokage, right? Shouldn't everyone know who you really are?" Minato looked at one of his students and ruffled the boys black hair. "Hey!" His other male student, one with shocking silver hair, just rolled his eyes. "It would alert all of his enemies if he used his actual name."

Minato nodded, "That's right, Kakashi-kun. But it is also useful when I'm out on infiltration missions and such. I wouldn't have to think much about a new name and I can easily make a new one using the meaning of the first. It makes thing quicker. Understand?" All three students nodded, and Minato smiled. "Well, I have an errand to run, so I will be seeing you all later."

Minato left quickly with a flash of yellow. He blinked rapidly as his feet touched solid ground, but then tripped over his own feet as the sudden disorientation and nausea caught up with him. "Whoa!" A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him up right. "Minato, you really need to be careful when you use the Hirashin to get to my lab. You could easily destroy something if you're not careful."

A seat was pushed up against Minato's knees and he quickly sat down. He slowly regained his composure after a while and smiled at his brother who was dressed in a stained and patched up white coat. "Sorry, but I need all the practice I get so that I wont have any troubles during a battle." Satoru raised a single eyebrow in skepticism, "I'm sure. So, finally going to be Hokage, huh? Are you using your real name?"

Minato shook his head, "Nope, you are looking at the newly named Kazama Arashi. Well, to most I will be." Satoru nodded, "Is there any reason why you are using my fake last name? You know people would become suspicious. I already have some troubles with my hair, good thing I always wear a mask." Minato laughed, Satoru's pseudonym was Kazama Teikiatsu. He never used his real name, even when he was with Minato. He also wore a plain white porcelain mask that was lined with seals so that it would keep his true identity safe.

"You did have the name first, so I could just say that you inspired me." Satoru glared at Minato and then rolled his eyes, going back to pouring a milky yellow substance into a green cup. "That would never work." Minato chuckled, "Yeah, but you barely go out of your bat cave, and you do work in the most reclusive division there is in Konoha. It will work out, plus, when this war ends I'll make sure no one knows about you. Being a Hokage can have its perks."

Satoru stopped what he was doing and looked at Minato, who was grinning like a sly fox, "Oh my. I think I may have been a bad influence on you when we were younger. I never would of though that my dear brother could have an evil side." Minato glared and punched Satoru's shoulder. "Whatever. You were a bad and good influence. But at least I'm not as notorious as you. I would never be a Hokage if I was." Satoru shrugged, "You never know."

* * *

"Minato…I'm so sorry." Kushina placed her arms gently around her fiancés shaking form. She had only briefly heard of his brother, the mysterious twin that was always there yet never seen. Minato was very tightlipped about him. She did want to know more about him and his family as well as his past. He never mentioned it once, but when she asked he would always freeze up or shut down.

Minato shook his head slowly. He was clutching a small piece of paper in his hands, the words already disappearing. "He had promised. He said he would be there with me from the beginning to the end. He said he would." Kushina just nodded along and tightened her arms around him. After all, she held no knowledge of Minato's brother or of what they had promised. All she could do was hold him and be by his side.

Not to far away, another man stood at the gates of Konoha. He held a small device to his ear and listened to the sounds of his brother crying. Satoru clenched his jaw in anger and did his best not to run back to his only living family member. He sighed and pulled the device away from his ear, tucking it away into his coat pocket for later use, and sent chakra to his feet. With a small burst of energy, Satoru was up and jumping through the trees that surrounded Konoha. Tears ran down his face as he left his home, "Gomen, Minato. I wish there could have been another way."

* * *

"ANBU! Get the Hokage! The patient is waking up!" The young mans only doctor had quickly ordered the ANBU who were guarding the room when the cardiac monitor began to beep more progressively. She rushed to her patient's side, hands already glowing green, and began to take a diagnose of his state. She sighed happily when nothing came up, "Steady."

Across the village an ANBU was kneeling before the Hokage, "Hokage-sama. Kazama Teikiatsu has reached consciousness." Hiruzen nodded and brusquely stood up. A thin file was held in his hand while a look of determination was on his face. "Let's finish this."

* * *

Note: The nurse, Mikudo, will never be seen again so don't worry about her. As for her name, it just popped up in my head while I was writing. Also, I hope I didn't mess up any of the original characters personalities and all. I tried my best, but it isn't perfect.

AN: And cut! Hope this one wasn't too confusing, last chapter was (well, to me, and I'm the one writing it). I also hope it cleared up the name thing. Any ways, comments, criticism, suggestions, questions, anything (please, I feel like I am writing a story for a mute audience, not that you can be mute on a computer unless you are blind, and now I'm rambling and I nothing against mute or blind people (just saying, because sometimes things are misunderstood and all)). But, thanks!


	4. Chapter 3: Unwanted Child

The Second Son

AN: Um…sorry for sort of disappearing. I was getting loads of work (god killing papers), and so…yeah. Hope you enjoy!

Warning: Language, and a bit blood in the future, and possible hints of child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for this story).

* * *

Chapter 3: Unwanted Child

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the young man pick at the tray of hospital food that had been laid before him. The folder that he had brought with him was strategically placed on the bedside table that had been set up between them. "I see you tried to dig up some information. Not much, is there?" The aged man looked at his junior with a look of skepticism. To him it was like the man knew that his ANBU wouldn't find anything. Then again, he knew many others that were quite similar to him in that aspect; his former student was one of them.

"Apparently not. Would you care to enlighten that, Kazama-san?" The man snorted indifferently and looked out the window, pushing the unappetizing food away. "I can, if I wanted to. I'm guessing you tested my blood against some certain…subjects?" He tapped at the arm that had a small square bandage over a cluster of veins. Hiruzen nodded, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he caught on to that. He picked up the folder and emptied out its contents. "You were very truthful with your interrogation. Something that still surprises me now. Not many intruders are like that."

"I don't have much to hide. Plus, I didn't enter the village as a threat, though it may have seemed like that in the eyes of others. I sincerely apologize for my uninvited intrusion. I hadn't acquired a passport yet, as I have told you through my interrogation. I hope you don't hold that against me." Hiruzen nodded and looked back to the name that was highlighted in the file. Many times. "I must ask, what is your connection to Kazama Arashi?"

The blonde man looked straight at Hiruzen, something dark flashing in his eyes, "He is my twin brother, I know I said that. Why ask again?" Hiruzen looked at the boy before him and sighed, "If you truly are his brother, what is your real name?" The boy paused for a moment, seemingly thinking over his response, and slowly let out a dry chuckle. "I'm not sure I understand. My name is Kazama Teikiatsu, why would I have a different name?"

Satoru knew he was caught between the devil and a demon. He either told the man his real name, or kept on lying. He knew the kage had found out, through a simple blood test, that he really was related to Minato. He could fabricate a whole new story of lies, he would be able to pull in some favors and use some connections to actually make it work, but it would make things more troublesome. He would let it slip some time or another that he was lying. Satoru gritted his teeth together before deciding his fate.

"Who do you think I am? If I am not Kazama Teikiatsu, then who am I?" Satoru said in a questioning voice, he looked into the dark eyes of the kage, and their stare down went on for a few minutes before the aged man chuckled. "You remind me so much of him. He was always so serious at the most oddest of times, it was hilarious. When he was merely eight, he had set up a meeting with me just so that he could buy and live in his own apartment." The Hokage looked out the window with a serene smile on his lips, "His reason was because he desperately wanted to live with a certain someone."

Satoru bit his lower lip, just slightly, but he knew the kage had seen him. "He never said who, and I never found out. I wonder why?" Satoru shrugged his shoulders, "I just asked who you thought I am. You still haven't answered. On the other hand…" Satoru glanced over to the papers the kage held in his hands, "I am curious of what you have found, despite the scarcity of it."

To Satoru's surprise, the Hokage barely even gave Satoru a suspicious glance before handing over all the papers with a small twinkle in his eye. "I hold nothing back." He took the papers hesitantly and looked over them. Minato's name was everywhere, as well as both of their fake names. There was a mission report done by Kakashi when they had chased and captured him, a medical overview that had his blood sample, and a document on his interrogation. He was about to give a sarcastic comment on their lack of information when another packet was suddenly placed in front of him.

"What is this?" "Your future. I have a feeling that you are no threat to Konoha, and I believe you be a good addition to this village." The kage stood up, taking the papers that had information on him from his hands and walked steadily to the door. "Especially in the…Oh, what was it? Ah," the man smirked and gave Satoru a knowing look, "especially in the science department." With that, the Hokage left, leaving a very startled and unnerved blonde. "Shit."

Back in his office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was having a heated discussion with his top ANBU member. "I still believe that you should have sent a Yamanaka into his mind. And at least locked him in a cell. That man can't be trusted, even if he looks like sensei." Sarutobi sighed deeply, letting out a wispy cloud of gray smoke. "Which is why I have ANBU, and you, watching over him. I know I am taking a risk, but I also have the knowledge to back it up." Kakashi grumbled under his breath, "Which you still haven't told me anything about." He just huffed in annoyance, "If he makes one wrong move, I get to kill him."

"You sound like a temperamental child, Kakashi-kun." Kakashi said nothing, but stalked out of the room in a silent cloud of rage. Sarutobi chuckled and began completing his ever-growing pile of paperwork. He had a feeling that today would be a good day…"Hokage-sama! Naruto has-!" "I'm on it…" Maybe, he had spoken too soon.

* * *

The packet was laid out in front of him, untouched. He had no idea what was going on in that old mans head. First he was quite generous, saying that he would not stuff him in a cell, though he would still be seen as a criminal; now he seemed to completely disregard the fact that he had snuck into his village and could be a possible threat. Satoru pinched the bridge of his nose in thought…not to mention the fact that the kage seemed to know of his previous association with the village.

Satoru pushed the thin blanket that covered him to the side, making the packet fall to the ground in a flurry of papers, and walked to the closed-door of his room. He tested the door handle, finding it unlocked, and calmly opened the door. He had expected the three ANBU, who were watching him, to jump out and attack him; but he was surprised when they just shifted in their positions, readying themselves to follow him.

Satoru let out a sigh of relief; he really did just want to get some fresh air and was glad that he hadn't been stopped, yet. He took a single step outside and waited, testing to make sure that he was really being given some freedom and that there were no traps set about. There was none and the ANBU still haven't moved. Satoru took a few more steps and closed the door behind him. He stood there for a while, though he noticed that many of the patients or nurses who were passing by were giving him odd or amused looks.

He gave a short nod to a worried looking nurse, silently telling her that he was fine, and slowly walked down the hall. Satoru felt terribly uncomfortable. There were way too many people around and he was starting to feel the effects of paranoia creep up on him. If he stayed inside any longer he would kill someone. Without trying to look rushed, he widened his strides and picked up the pace he was walking. He glanced at the many signs that he was passing, deducting that he was on the fourth floor and would need to take the stairs down, if he didn't want to look like he was running away.

He could just pop a window and jump out, but he was sure that the ANBU weren't that lenient. As he got closer to the staircase he began to notice that he was getting more odd stares. Everyone's attention seemed to be directed straight at him. Then he remembered, and almost hit his head against a wall for his stupidity. Minato was the Yondaime Hokage! Even if he had used a pseudonym, the people would of at least known what he had looked like.

Satoru couldn't take it anymore. He dashed to the nearest window, quickly unlocked it, and jumped out of the window. He could sense the ANBU following him, there were even some who had shunshined down to his landing point. Satoru scowled but allowed himself to free-fall. He landed gracefully and put his hands up in the air to show that he wasn't about to try and run or fight. The ANBU paused before all but one disappeared. An ANBU with brown hair and a bear mask stood in front of him, "To go past the hospital boundaries would be your death sentence." Satoru shrugged and slowly let his hands drop to his sides, "I can live with that."

* * *

"Naruto, how are you doing today?" The young blonde smiled brightly at the kage, "I'm all better! See, look, all of the wounds are gone and I can move perfectly fine!" The boy stretched out his arms, wincing a bit from the strain, but kept on his smile. His attitude suddenly changed and he began to pout, "I don't see why I still have to be here. I need to train so I can become Hokage!" Hiruzen chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm and patted his bright and messy hair. "I'm sure you do, but every ninja also needs rest. I'll see what I can do to help you get out of here quicker, so behave." Naruto nodded and shouted out his good-byes to the old man as he left his hospital room. Hiruzen sighed as he reached the corridor outside of the boy's room.

He desperately needed a smoke, but every time he reached for his pipe the nurses and doctors would glare at him with cold eyes. He was especially afraid of what the women would do to him if he dared to even try. Hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath. He sighed and decided to pay a visit to another hospitalized blonde. He walked with a steady pace, greeting some of those he knew and chatting with others who he had sent out on missions. It was really an experience for a kage to see all of those who had been hospitalized from the missions he had sent them on.

Sighing once again, the aged man reached the respective door and opened it, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him quietly. He was surprised to see the younger Kazama looking through the packet he had given him a few days ago. Through numerous reports he had gotten about the man he had learned that he hadn't even given the packet a mere thought. The boy had pushed it off his bed and left it there. Sarutobi smiled and pulled a chair next to the bed. Sitting down he looked at the page the boy was on. "Are you interested in complying?"

The boy barely gave the kage a glance before going back to his reading. Sarutobi felt a slight chill run down his back. Minato had been a very good actor, or maybe that was just how he was. He could be aloof at one moment before becoming serious in the next. It was a surprise many people didn't get whiplash from his constantly changing moods. It was possible that all Namikazes had that characteristic.

After two long silent hours, the boy set the packet to the side and gave the kage a single nod. "I will comply. But, I would like to have permission to be granted more freedom, especially if I am doing any training or…" he glanced at the kage, obviously thinking about his previous pupil, "or experimenting. I don't quite like having people watching me when I am trying to create a new technique and such." Hiruzen nodded. "Very well. But there needs to be at least one ANBU watching you."

"Who is not an Uchiha or with the abilities of an Uchiha." Hiruzan smirked; apparently Kakashi had and impact on the man, and nodded. "Of course. If you don't have any other questions, I must go to complete your decisions." The boy shook his head, but still looked troubled. Hiruzen waited, "For my living accommodations…you had put that I would be living next to and watching over someone. May I ask who?" The kage smiled knowingly it almost creped Satoru out, "Look for room 24B." With that he left, taking the packet with him.

* * *

"24B, 24B, 24B, 24B…" Satoru muttered the room's identification. It hat become his silent mantra as he searched for the room. He had no idea who he was going to be living next to for probably the rest of his life. But he definitely didn't think it was necessary to send him on some goose chase to find just one person. Satoru stopped and looked at the small white plaque that held the same numbers and letter that he had muttered. He put his hand on the door handle and paused. What was he going to say, he had no idea who was behind the door and he didn't know if the person would even like him or not.

Satoru shoved those thoughts aside, whatever happened he didn't care, and opened the door. He set one foot into the room and…was bombarded by what seemed to be balloons filled with…orange paint? Satoru could hear a child's laughter as he felt his eyebrow begin to twitch. He slowly brought his hands up to his face and wiped off the paint that was making it difficult to see or breath. "Hey, your not a ninja, are you?" Satoru felt another twitch, "No. I am not. Whatever gave it away."

He could feel the ANBUs, or those that had some humor in them, amusement. It was basically oozing from them and it was beginning to annoy him. Satoru was finally able to wipe off all the paint that had splattered onto his face and looked at his attacker. It was a child. Who looked to be only five. And the child looked almost exactly like…oh. Satoru almost laughed. That twisted old manipulative damn sly man planned this out. "So…are you my new neighbor or something?" Satoru nodded, "Yes, I'm also your babysitter. You can call me Kazama-san." Oh how he will love this. The child pouted, "I'm not a baby! I don't need some random person to look after me!"

Satoru smirked, "And how did you get in here?" The boy ignored him and they settled into an angry silence. Satoru sighed and stood up, he walked over to the child's bed and sat down next to him. "My name is Kazama, Teikiatsu. It is a pleasure to meet you." He held out his hand and the boy gaze it a suspicious glance before slowly shaking it, "Uzumaki, Naruto. And I'm going to Hokage!" Satoru smiled, "I see. Well, I am glad that I finally found the child I will be looking after-"Hey!"-but I really must be going. I need to…speak with someone to confirm my future." Naruto just nodded and waved him an enthusiastic good-bye.

Satoru sighed as he walked to his room. Things were getting way too bothersome. He looked up from the ground he had been staring at and was surprised to meet the gaze of the Hokage. He thought for a moment before frowning, "You told him that I was coming, didn't you?" The man smiled with a little twinkle in his eyes, "I may of let it slip out. So, how was your meeting? I presume it went well after you both let loose some steam." Satoru nodded, eyeing the old man suspiciously, before shrugging. "You could say that. But right now, I kind of want to see how all that finalization for me is going. I'm kind of curious. Besides," he gave the Hokage a look, "I am sure we have far more things to talk about to day." He walked up to the aging man and whispered a few words into his ear. He enjoyed the wide eyes and gaping mouth of the old man, though it didn't last long.

"Yes. It seems that we do have a lot to talk about. I will send someone to give you something more formal to wear. Then the ANBU will lead you to my office. I will see you then." Satoru smirked at the man as he shunshined away. The smirk was still on his face when he went back into his room to rest. It had been a strangely good day for him. Satoru then remembered that he was still covered in paint. He sat up and looked at his now orange bed. "I'm going to have to change the sheets. That damn sneaky brat." He sighed, not realizing that the smirk had been replaced by a smile.

* * *

"We found him. He's currently in Konoha." He blinked and raised an eyebrow, "Konoha? Really? Ah, Satoru what am I going to do about you? You go off and get captured by some weak village, how pitiful. Send some men to watch over him, I don't want my little brother to get hurt." The lady bowed quickly and ran off to pass on his order. He sighed and looked at the map he had laid out in front of him. His eyes landed on the Fire Country. "Konoha, huh, Satoru what are you thinking?"

He shook his head and stood up, walking to a closed door, he flung it open and all the residence in the room behind the door flinched. He smirked and began to walk along the cages. He stopped at one and looked at the man who lay inside with a predator like gaze. The man stood his ground and didn't even shake, "And what does the great lord want from me today?" The man grinned, "This great lord wants some information. And he knows exactly how to get it." He opened the cage and grabbed the man by his neck, dragging him out of the room and into another; he threw the man against the wall.

The man bit down his cry of pain and glared at the other. "I would never give you information! Not even if I'm dead!" He smirked and opened the door, "Bring in the others." There was a quick "Hai!" before he closed the door once again. He looked at the man who was nursing his head, "Don't worry. I know how to make your innards squirm, just wait and see." He left the room, leaving the man in his pitiful state. The man hugged his knees closer to his body and cried. "I'm sorry." In his hands was a rusted hetai-ate with the Konoha insignia.

* * *

AN: That took longer than I thought. Sorry if it's slow, I couldn't quite get a grasp at what I really wanted to write, but…oh well. So, questions, comments, suggestions, and criticism are welcomed (just be nice). Also, thank you to those who had commented (I'm sorry that my writing may confuse you and I will try to fix that).


	5. Chapter 4: To Tell the Truth

The Second Son

AN: Um…so now I basically am doing this to fill up space (joy), and to apologize for not uploading any chapters…(input long and pitiful excuse). Terribly sorry, yeah. And beware! This chapter has a whole holy cowing lot of talking.

Warning: Language, blood, violence, and possibly child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for the story).

* * *

Chapter 4: To Tell the Truth

"Was it really that easy to figure it out?" The blonde shrugged, seemingly trying to shift into a more comfortable position, "No. I really didn't need to look very far. All of the facts were basically right in front of me. The only trouble was putting them together." Hiruzen nodded, "I see. How did you do it?" He watched as suspicion over took the young mans features. Hiruzen knew he was risking loosing the very little trust the man had for him if he poked and prodded him too much; he was thankful that he had set up Teikiatsu's meeting before hand. Kami knew that Naruto could gain the trust from anyone.

The man sighed before finding interest in the ceiling. "He looks almost exactly like him, if Naruto was any older we all might be considered as triplets. There was only one other Kazama that was alive and living in Konoha. So that was the total give away. As for Naruto's other addition, even if you were to avoid Konoha, everyone finds out sometime or another of a rampaging bijuu. You can't quite conceal that much chakra expulsion. After that it was merely figuring out the time line and if you know when the bijuu was released and you can guess the age of the container, it was quite obvious. About the guess dealing with Arashi…why else would he be dead. And I have never heard of anyone being able to actually kill a bijuu. Seal, yes. Kill, no." Teikiatsu looked pointedly at the Hokage as if challenging him to say that his theories were wrong.

Hiruzen smiled to himself and puffed out another cloud of smoke while nodding, "You are correct. But I must ask, why would you be avoiding Konoha?" Teikiatsu looked at the old man, looking a bit miffed that he had caught his little slip up, "Arashi and I had what you might call a disagreement. I didn't want to deal with him and neither did he me. We both just wanted to cool our heads of a bit before trying to get back together again." He watched as the Hokage tried to filter out any truths from his lie. He couldn't tell him the truth, even Minato didn't fully know of it. Though now he never would.

Hiruzen couldn't quite believe the words the man had spoken. He had seen Minato go through a terrible depression near the end of the Third War; not just any "argument" could break Minato like that. Back then; he had no idea that he had any living relatives, not to mention it was a twin brother. When he had figured out that someone had worked in the Technology and Science division had the same fake name as Minato, he had immediately tried to find more information. He didn't get very far and all of the information of the division had disappeared when Minato had become the Yondaime. And for some odd reason, all of those who had worked in the same division were either dead or had moved to another village.

Hiruzen didn't want to think that Minato would threaten his own people, but now he was dealing with his brother and he had a gut feeling that the boy before him had Minato wrapped around his finger. They must have been severely close together when they were young and Teikiatsu must have been seen as the older brother figure even though he was younger than Minato. He also had a feeling that the man before him was playing him like a chess piece. But as they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And Hiruzen was determined to have Minato's supposed brother loyal to Konoha; either that or the two brothers would be meeting sooner than expected.

"I see. You must feel awful for not being able to renew your relationship with him." Teikiatsu's eyes narrowed, obviously suspicious of the kages interest of his and his brother's relationship. "I suppose. We were quite close as children. I am quite glad that you are allowing me to watch over his son. But now that I think about it, why was he in the hospital?" He knew he seemed a bit rushed in trying to direct the conversation onto a different topic, but he and Minato had some history that wasn't meant to be let out into the open.

The Hokage ignored the obvious aversion of the topic and answered the boy's question, "Naruto isn't very liked in the village. He is often ignored and bullied. Some times the words and actions get out of hand and the ANBU have to interfere. Kakashi is the main witness and protector; he looks after the boy even more than I. Also, now that we are on the topic of Naruto, do you mind looking over his diet and training? The boy needs all the help he can get."

Teikiatsu nodded, "Yeah. I can take him from the hospital when he gets out. When am I being discharged? Also, when can I get back my own clothing? Along with everything in my bag?" Teikiatsu put a bit emphasis on "everything", he couldn't think clearly when not dressed in something comfortable and he was very possessive of the things that belonged to him. He had come here dressed in his own personal style along with his backpack. He wasn't quite sure if they would give him back some of the more…dangerous items that he had in there, but he was still hoping.

The Hokage's brow raised slightly at the possessive tone the boy had used, "Didn't the nurses give you back your clothing? I am sure they had washed and patched up your clothes, they must have left them in the drawer of your bedside-table yet never found the time to tell you. As for your other belongings, my personal Research Unit is looking through them. You certainly did have an odd collection of objects on your personal. The team members are trying to decide if they are appropriate enough to allow a supposed civilian to handle them."

Teikiatsu twitched as an imaginary arrow stabbed at him, "I see. I assure you that everything in that bag is hardly a threat to your village. And even if they were, I am but a civilian. What could a mere civilian do to a trained ninja?" Hiruzen could see the edges of the blonde's mouth twitching into a smirk. He felt tempted to hit the boy's smug look off his face before realizing that it was because of his comment that it all started. He sighed, "Very well. The team will be done looking over all of your possessions in three days max, I will make sure that all of your belongings aren't destroyed or tampered with and will be back with you by then. Is that alright?"

The young man nodded, glad that he could get his things back in such a short time, "And about Naruto and the hospital?" The kage looked through some papers before smiling at Teikiatsu, "Naruto is discharged tomorrow around late noon. You seem have recovered a bit early, so I will change your discharge. You will be able to leave the hospital right after the nurses give you a physical and when you collect your clothing. I am sure that will give you some time to actually look through that packet I gave you and settle into your new life. I gave you enough money to survive the week and to buy some house equipment and such. You will need to pay me back, so find a job as soon as you can. I gave you some options in the packet as well."

Teikiatsu shuddered at the soon to come physical, he knew he hated hospitals for a good reason. He looked at the Hokage who returned his gaze, "And what of telling Naruto of his dirty little secrets? And I said secrets, as in plural." The old man facial expression didn't even change at his offhanded comment. "I was planning of telling him of his extra inhabitant when he graduated from the Academy." "And his parents? I have been to Uzu no Kuni before, from what I heard there had been only a handful of redheads who had immigrated to Konoha. In the Academy there had only been one Uzumaki child in my brothers class, such a coincidence that the child was also a girl. I wonder how the whole village hadn't figured out whom their favorite little demon spawned from. Don't you?"

Teikiatsu slipped an emotionless smirk onto his face as the Hokage stood up, killing intent spilling into the air around him. "Don't you dare talk of Naruto like that! The boy has been through enough of-" "Wow, hold on old man, I was just saying it through the perspective of your civilians." The blonde held up his hands in defense, "The kids as harmful as a fly, he may be annoying as hell, but he couldn't kill for his life. I know the difference between a demon and an innocent. I was just poking at you, all Kazama's have a teasing side." Hiruzen sat back down on his chair, killing intent just barely sensible and a glare directed at Teikiatsu.

"I was planning to tell him when he reached late chuunin or mid jounin." The man rubbed his face, trying to calm his features and let his anger levels drop. Teikiatsu still had his half smirk plastered on his face, happy he got a rise out of the man, but let it drop when a questioning decided to replace it. "Are you serious? Why not tell him when he gets into the Academy. It wont help him at all to not know of his parentage or of what sealed in him when he reaches genin or even jounin. He needs to know of his parents and of the possible enemies he might have to face because of them. Also, from what I know of Jinchuriki, it is better for the hosts to begin working with their bijuu when they are younger so that they can control it more during times of high stress. Not to mention becoming a ninja is full of that shit. If the kid goes on a mission and suddenly lets the kyubi out, he wont be able to control it."

Hiruzen muddled over Teikiatsu's well thought excuse, "Naruto isn't the most secretive or quiet person out there…" "And you told me to train him. I may not be a ninja, but I do have some experience with them and I have watched as well as helped my brother to reach his goal of being a kage. Plus, a bored man is always ready for a challenge. How else are the Nara so stupidly smart?" Teikiatsu grinned at the kage like a certain blonde boy would when he had just thought up of a brilliant prank. "And I'm always ready for a challenge."

* * *

"You're serious about having him live with and train Naruto?" Hiruzen glanced at the man who stood at his office door, "Not exactly live with per say. More like living near the boy. Did you figure anything about the mans belongings or even anything about him?" The man snorted, "If my unit and I live and work underground, then that man is from hell or maybe the center of the world. The teams I sent out couldn't find anything about the brat. I'm starting to think he really is the Yondaime's ghost. As for his odd 'belongings', I am willing to bet that even Jiraiya wouldn't be able to figure out the seals. Too complex for any of our seal masters here and we have looked through the Yondaime's books and notes. There are only a few seals of the kids that are referenced to the other blonde's seals, but there are just too many other components to figure out what the seals do. It's almost as if he created a whole new way of making seals. It is quite frustrating. The rest is mostly dealing with technology, though the only places that exceeded in those areas are Shimo no Kuni and Sora no Kuni. Sora no Kuni has been destroyed and our alliance with Shimo no Kuni is more like a statement that they can correspond with us but they are still hostile towards us. Our village never looked much into technology."

Hiruzen looked surprised at the man, "You know, just know you have spoken more words to me than you have for the past year. With dry humor in the addition! I must say, having Minato's brother here really is doing some good for you." The man glowered at the Sarutobi; though he only had one eye it still sent chills down the kages back. "He is merely a puzzle and a possible threat." Hiruzen tried to hide his amusement, "A puzzle that even you can't crack. Maybe we should request help from Shikaku? Or would the whole Nara clan do?" The man ignored Hiruzen's jibes and turned to the door, "I will figure this boy out. And if he is a threat…"

Hiruzen nodded, "I keep my promises. You wont need to worry about that, just make sure our deal is kept under lock and key, apparently the boy has a habit for figuring out the most strangest of things. You understand, yes?" The man nodded, "I understand." He paused for a moment before looking over his shoulder, "Hiruzen. Watch out for yourself and trend carefully, I may have not found anything about that man, but even I know that playing the game of chess with a master will always end in your defeat. That man is more than a master. He is a manipulator."

Hiruzen watched as his old friend left his office. He sighed and brought out his pipe, stuffing it with more tobacco and lighting it with a weak fire jutsu. He understood his old teammates words perfectly, but…"I am afraid that I have already lost the game." He breathed in the burning smoke and exhaled, "How in the world did you survive living with a brother like that yet still turned out to be the man who you were, Minato? I can't imagine."

* * *

"Neither can I old man." Satoru smirked, how careless could people get? He smiled and sat down on his hospital bed. He could barely hold in his laughter, though it wouldn't be good to appear insane to the nurses who were leaving. They were already giving him odd looks, though he wasn't sure if it was because he had been talking silently to himself or if it was because he looked like his brother. His talk with the Hokage had been quite lovely and very resourceful. "Now, just who might be this strange man who had been looking for me?" He already knew his answer. Danzo Shimura, the man who controlled the ANBU ROOT fraction of Konoha's secret service. One of his doctors had been utterly delightful to cooperate with him and just so happened to also be one of his distant acquaintances of an acquaintance that really didn't like him.

"Konoha really is lax in everything. Strange how many of the strongest people come from here." Satoru smiled, he had many simple eavesdropping seals that he had placed on his wrist before even coming into the proximity of the village. He had made them transferable to non-animate surfaces, "Pity they can't go anywhere else." He sighed and leaned over to his bedside table, he opened the drawer and found his clothes neatly folded and in a simple brown bag. "Hospitality seems okay." He pulled his clothes from the bag and began pulling off the hospital gown he was wearing. He knew that even if he moved to the bathroom he would still be watched by the ANBU, so really, he had no privacy anywhere he went.

He pulled on his dress white shirt and black combat pants, frowning at the wrinkles in his shirt, and held up his navy blue coat. "What the-! He calls this patching!" His coat had off-blue material replacing the spots where some kunai had torn at them. Satoru muttered to himself before throwing on his coat, "Forget about hospitality, these people can't even sew correctly." He huffed and then realized something. "Where are my boots?"

He looked back to the table and searched it again. He frowned when he turned up empty. "What the heck? How am I supposed to walk around with no shoes?" Satoru heard a slight snicker and he turned around very slowly. An ANBU stood behind him holding his boots in his hands, "They had to take out the knives." Satoru scoffed, "And they couldn't do that when they took the ones from my coat? I'm sure. Hatake, hand over the shoes." The ANBU tilted his head to the side in feigned innocence, "I'm not sure what you mean, Kazama. I am called Inu, last time I checked." He tossed over the shoes and Satoru caught them with ease. He slipped on his boots, noticing that the other ANBU had left and looked to Inu, "So you're my personal guard?"

"I would say babysitter, but that is degrading for one of my stature. You have another, but he is far more quite." Satoru nodded and grabbed the packet he had got from the Hokage, "So you know where my apartment is?" "Obviously. Follow me and keep up; we're going by roof. Hokage-sama had already notified the front desk of your discharge." Satoru nodded and followed the silver-haired ANBU out the window and across the roofs. He had wanted to place another seal at the hospital front desk, but he supposed that it would have to wait. Good thing he would be back to get Naruto.

"Hokage-sama should have placed you under chakra containment seals." Satoru glanced at the last Hatake, "Oh? And you're telling me this, why?" The ANBU said nothing for a while until the two men reached the apartment building that Satoru would be staying at, "You are a threat. It would be easier to kill you if you don't have chakra. Find your room, Hokage-sama did his best to supply you with some furniture and other utilities. Naruto lives in apartment room 496 on the top floor. If you hurt him or anyone else, I will be the one to make sure that heart of yours is not beating."

Kakashi took off his mask and stepped closer to Satoru, opening up his Sharingan eye. Satoru almost flinched at the red spinning pin wheel and quickly looked away. "I don't care if you look like sensei or if you're related to him. I don't trust you. One wrong move and I will send you to hell." With that Kakashi slipped away into the shadows, leaving Satoru standing alone. Satoru stretched out his stiff fingers, his knuckles were white from him clenching them in fists too tightly. He went to the apartment buildings superintendent and received a kind greeting and a key from the portly man. After finding his room, Satoru opened the door and closed in behind him. He leaned against the wood and slid to the floor. A small-saddened smile appeared on his face, "This might be harder than I thought."

* * *

"So you really are my neighbor! That's kind of weird, in a creepy way. Like are you a stalker or something cause I'm starting to think you might be. Or maybe you're plotting revenge! You aren't angry about the paint thing, right? It was just a joke. Hey, are you even listening to me? Hello?" Satoru blinked for a moment before looking down at the blindingly blonde bundle of energy that was walking circles around him. "What?"

Naruto pouted and glared at the man, "I was saying that-" "No, no, I mean I follow you. I just had to think for a moment…if it's possible for human beings to say so many words in such little amount of time…" Satoru nodded to himself, thinking of the possible scientific explanations of the child before him. Naruto tilted his head to the side and folded his arms. With a frown on his face and a thoughtful look in his eyes he looked at Satoru, "I don't get it." Satoru twitched, "Brat, I said it a simply as I could. I don't think it could get any simpler than that." Naruto nodded and his head began to turn red. Satoru feared the boy might kill himself and poked the brat in the head, "Don't think too much about it, I don't want to be blamed for murder as well."

Naruto huffed and rubbed the red dot on his forehead, "Whatever. You said you needed to talk to me about something, right?" Satoru nodded, "Yeah, come with me, I need some slave labor to help me set up my apartment." "EH?" Naruto scooted away from the older man, "What do you mean slave labor?" Satoru grabbed the back of the kids shirt, "Oh, did I say slave labor? Sorry, slip of the tongue, I meant help. Just help. How old are you anyways, four? You should start working if you're living by yourself."

"I'm five! And Jiji always gives me enough money!" Satoru snorted, "And what if the man dies, where would you get your money then?" Naruto stopped struggling and let Satoru drag him into his apartment. "Jiji wouldn't die. He's too strong to die." "I'm sure. You sure are a depressing squirt. I started working when I was four. At first I had a really simple job, just running errands and passing notes. Age changes a lot of things kid, I don't have a very pretty job anymore and your old man isn't as young as he used to be." He ruffled Naruto's hair and then shoved a bucket and a rag into his face. He smiled, but Naruto shivered at it, "Now, let's teach you something's on living alone."

Satoru had a lovely evening. Naruto didn't, but Satoru certainly did. "You're very cruel. Did you know that?" Satoru smirked, "Where would the world be if there weren't any cruel people?" Naruto shrugged, "It would be peaceful." Naruto flinched when Satoru began to laugh, "Peaceful? Oh, how gorgeous the child mind works!" Satoru looked at Naruto and frowned, "How I would hate to be a child again. People aren't as wonderful as they seem, kid. If there were no cruel people, the world would fall out of balance. We humans are a distinctive balance of dark and light, did you know that? We need the evil to create the good, we need the good to destroy the evil."

"But what if both sides lived in peace?" Satoru blinked, "You are very optimistic. It almost reminds me of him…that's right! Sorry, I forgot, the Hokage gave me permission to tell you two little secrets. But you have to promise to never tell anyone else unless I give you permission other wise; you might just go missing for some strange reason. What do you say?" Naruto brightened up a bit and nodded enthusiastically, "Sure!" Satoru grinned, "Let's start off with who I really am…"

* * *

"So apparently they have seals on their tongues to keep them from talking. Damn, and I thought we had hit the jackpot! Now we don't have anything to tell boss!" A hand flashed and smacked the boys unkempt head, "Shut up will you! At least we caught the damn bastards before they found anything worthwhile! We should tell Kage-sama that we at least have the culprits who had been sneaking around the base!" A monotone voice slipped out from behind the female who had whacked the boy's head, "You know that he is not a kage. We aren't even a village."

"Whatever. Should we just kill them? They can't give us anything unless…we can cut out their tongues-" "Idiot! Then they really wont be able to give us anything!" The girl whacked the boy's head once again and went on grumbling. "We could send them to the Brain Unit." The sound of clapping startled the three teens, "Good job. You found the rats." A man walked into the room and grinned at the two ANBU ROOT members who were bleeding and chained to the floor. "So, they can't say anything?"

"Yes, we have already tried many different forms of torture but none of them have worked." "I see. Take their heads to the Brain Unit. Have one of the weaker and less knowledgeable teams decide who will try their fate on getting into their brains. Make sure it's quick, the brain can only last for so long." The three kids bowed and went to work, "What of their bodies?" The man shrugged, "Destroy them, but keep everything else. Who knows what we can use?"

* * *

AN: Finally! Sorry it took so long to write, so much talking! Gosh, I hope I didn't bore you guys to death. Also, I know I write confusingly, please point out any areas of where it gets really bad (I seriously need help with finding a way to make it more understandable). Well, questions, comments, criticism, it's all welcomed!

Translations and Such:

Shimo no Kuni: Land of Frost (The place with trains.)

Sora no Kuni: Land of the Sky (The floating island with kunai launchers, lasers, and aircrafts.)

Uzu no Kuni: Land of Eddies (The place where the Uzumaki Clan originated from.)


	6. Chapter 5: A Renewed Promise

The Second Son

AN: Okay…this one is going to seem really all over the place, I'm just warning you.

Warning: Language, blood, violence, child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for the story).

* * *

Chapter 5: A Renewed Promise

The man gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing at the strained action, and took the envelope from the table. He quickly opened it and leafed through the continents, all while glancing every so often at the masked man that stood calmly at the other side of the table. He recounted the money in the envelope before stuffing it into the glove he wore on his right hand, "You swear that we wont be caught? We just have to take care of the kid and then what?" The masked man tilted his head to the side and a shiver went up the other's spine, the hairs on the back of his neck bristled and he took a peek over his shoulder, looking to see if there was anyone behind him.

"Of course not. I promise." The man wasn't even reassured by those words, instead they made him want to back out of the job even more, but he needed the money for his family, even if it meant beating up a mere child. "And the rest of the money? You will give it to me afterward, yes?" The masked man nodded, "Once you show me the body so that I may dispose of it. You wont have any problems with that, will you now." It wasn't a question, far from it. The man nodded, "Good. Because if not…" the masked man took out a picture from his sleeve, "I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk the lives of your family. You have such a pretty wife; she would do well in the markets. And your children look quite strong and healthy, anyone would love to buy them up for some extra help around the house."

The picture was set in front of the man as his eyes widened in fear, "No. No, no, no way…how did you-?" The mask the man wore seemed to grin, its mouth stretching into one of sinister pleasure. "Ehh…lets just say I have connections. But if those options don't suit you, I'm sure I can open up some time in my schedule." A knife flashed as it was thrown at the picture, the blade cut directly into the middle of the family portrait, stabbing at the small space that was in between the husband and wife. The man fell to his knees, obviously regretting his decision of meeting up with the masked character. "So, you'll do the job, right?" The man nodded furiously and then ran out of the room; the masked man chuckled and unstrapped the mask on his face, slowly setting it down on the table.

"You didn't need to threaten him, he would of done it anyways." The man turned around and smiled to the shadows, "I'm sure…when he leaves tomorrow, grab his family. I have heard that the human market has been prosperous lately; I wouldn't want to miss the chance at getting some extra cash. Would you?" The shadows around him laughed madly, "I already have my men on it. They will be ready by then, how do you want to split the share? Fifty-thirty? I know you still have to pay your brother back. You can give twenty to him." The man scoffed, "Thanks, just what I needed. A reminder that I still have that stalker on my tail…whatever, I have to get going." He picked up his mask and left the room. "Psychopathic bastard…"

* * *

"So…you're my uncle? No wonder you looked so familiar when I first saw you…and the Yondaime is my…father?" The young blond boy gave the older blond a skeptical look, "Are you sure that the hospital didn't put you on drugs or anything? Did ojii-san let you smoke his pipe?" Satoru sputtered and broke out in laughter. He clutched his sides tightly and grinned at the boy, still chuckling, "Oh Kami, kid it's a good thing I'm not going to be living with you or you might kill me. Ha! Drugs? Really?" Satoru smiled at Naruto, "No, I am telling the truth, but you will not tell anyone of this. If you do I might have to depend on some drastic measures. Besides that, what do you think about your temperamental prisoner?"

Naruto shrugged, a look of confusion and disbelief on his face, "I'm not the fox, but it is in me, and everyone thinks that I'm some sort of demon. I don't know what to think, but…I know that this means that I can get people to acknowledge me if they understand me easily! If I do that, I can become Hokage in no time!" Satoru's face darkened just for a split second, though Naruto didn't notice at all. "Naruto, how much do you know about a kage's job?" Naruto blinked and smiled, "Everyone likes them and they keep the village safe from the bad guys! Um…they're the strongest in the village and they have to do paperwork! But if I'm Hokage I would ban paperwork, because ojii-san doesn't like it."

Instead of laughing, what Naruto expected his newly revealed uncle to do, Satoru simply nodded, "I see. Naruto, do you want to attend the Academy?" The energetic boy nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! I'll be the best there and I can get friends!" Satoru nodded, "From what I know, most children begin their Academy days at the age of eight. They then have four years of training, or was it five…I'm not sure anymore. When my brother was in the Academy everything was so…different. Anyways, Naruto, do you want me to teach you before I enter you into the Academy?"

Naruto's blue eyes widened, Satoru swore they also began to sparkle but it could have just been the odd lighting of his apartment. "Really? You'll do that? You'll teach just me?" Satoru nodded at the surprised boy and slightly flinched back when the kid suddenly shouted out, loudly, in joy. "Yatta! I'm going to be the bestest ninja in the whole world! But, Kazama-san, um…" Naruto looked questioningly at his new uncle, "Didn't you say you weren't a ninja? How are you going to teach me anything if you haven't even been through the Academy?"

Satoru twitched, "Gaki. I may not call myself a shinobi, but that doesn't mean I haven't been through any training." Naruto stared for a while before grinning and scratching at the back of his head, "Oh…so you're pretty weak, huh." Satoru gave Naruto an angry pout, "Brat…I'm going to-urgh, never mind." He shook his head and leaned backward; tilting his head up to the ceiling, "I wont be able to convince you without proof, kid, but there's no way I'm going to do that in a village...too much people."

Satoru listened to Naruto's awkwardly uncomfortable shifting and sighed. The kid could put up a front, making it seem like he was acting as he normally would, but it was obvious to anyone who would observe him closely enough. Naruto didn't trust him, neither did he trust the kid but…it would make his job so much simpler if the boy liked him. Satoru sighed and looked back at his miniature doppelganger, "Go home and rest for the day, eat something healthy for once and go to sleep early. Tomorrow I'm going to pick you up at five and we'll begin with a test of sorts. From there I'll make you a schedule and then we will get started on fixing up whatever you have now…doubt you have much skills anyhow."

Naruto glared at the man, "Hey! I do too!" Satoru snorted and waved his hand at the boy, shooing him off and out of his apartment. "I'm sure." Naruto frowned and began to stomp his way out of the room when he froze and turned around. Suddenly, the boy dashed toward Satoru, who was standing up from the couch, and tackled him. They landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs. Satoru blinked slowly, trying to get a hold of what was happening when Naruto suddenly jumped up and ran to the door screaming, "You'll regret saying I have no skills, occhan!"

Satoru gaped like a fish at the door, "O-occhan?" A few more moments passed before a small smile appeared on his face, "Haha, Naruto, you sure are one unpredictable gaki." He chuckled quietly before deciding that it was due time for him to stand up. Satoru sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't of…" He frowned and shook the dark thought that had popped into his head out. "What's done is done. I just hope he doesn't figure it out." Satoru looked around his new home, though Naruto was small for his age he had a whole lot of stamina and just with the two of them they were able to clean and set up his apartment in no time. "But not everything…"

Satoru scowled, remembering that all of his more important possessions were all sealed in scrolls in his satchel, which was currently being held hostage. He huffed and walked to the room he had chosen as his pseudo-office; he had wanted to put the things in his bag in this room. Empty bookshelves lined the walls; he was hoping to go to a bookshop sometime or another, while a large desk was randomly set in the middle of the room. Satoru pushed out his senses, checking to see if his little guardian devils were still watching; sighing when he sensed two positioned above him.

He tilted his head to the side and crossed his arm; slipping one hand into the opposite arms sleeve he unsealed a small rectangular piece of paper from a seal he had drawn on his arm. The ANBU above him moved, sensing the small spike of chakra, but Satoru just smirked. With blinding speed, Satoru slapped the paper on his desk and pushed chakra into it, "Torappu Shōheki: Fūin." The two ANBU who landed in the room froze in place. Satoru nodded at them both and unsealed some ink and a brush from another seal on his arm, "Let's see how this works. Shall we?"

* * *

"_Promises are such useless things. You never know if it will be fulfilled. So don't make promises to others, make others promise to you. And if they don't fulfill that promise…you know what to do."_

_-NA_

"You're Satoru's mother, yes?" Odayaka hastily set down the basket of clothing she had been carrying and straightened out her dress. She looked at the woman who stood in front of her, the angered look on her face almost made Odayaka's insides wilt. She pushed a beaming smile onto her face and nodded, "Yes, has my child done anything to upset you…" The woman glared even harder, "Kimiko Hatsune."

"Hatsune-san, has my child done anything wrong to upset you?" Odayaka watched as the woman roll her eyes and look down to something behind her. Odayaka noticed that a pair of small hands were clutching at the woman's dress, shaking. Kimiko pushed the small boy who was hiding behind her out into the open, "Motaru came home like this. I have no idea how to make him stop; he would refuse to say anything other than Shiro Senkō. Apparently this is the nickname the other kids at their school gave your son. I want your son to come here and…I don't know, fix him!"

Odayaka blinked, "Ah. Satoru might of just scared him a bit, he has that…effect on people." She turned around, a smile hidden under a hand, "Satoru! Do you mind coming here, I know you're listening again!" "Kaa-san, I'm right here." Odayaka jumped and turned to see her son standing right behind her, a sly smile on his lips. Odayaka giggled a bit and patted Satoru's shoulder, "Why don't you help out poor Motaru over there while I fix up some tea for Hatsune-san. Alright?"

Satoru nodded, eyes flickering over the small kid, "Sure!" Odayaka smiled, "Hatsune-san would you care to join me for some tea? This may take a while." Kimiko glared at Satoru but nodded, she followed Satoru's mother into their house, leaving Satoru alone with Motaru. Satoru whipped his head around to the kid and looked at him with an annoyed face, "Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?" Motaru whimpered and fell to the ground, "I'm sorry! I really am! But I don't want to keep stealing from my father; he's getting suspicious of all his disappearing materials. I don't think I can keep this up!"

Satoru looked at the boy before grinning, "I know. Which is why your mother is the one who is inside happily sipping tea." Motaru gasped in horror and scrambled to his feet, only to find that he couldn't. Tears flowed out of the boys eyes, "Wh-what are you doing to my mother?! Y-you demon! Monster!" Satoru sighed, "Look, it's just going to be a small case of amnesia. As for your father, have you yet to realize that he wont be able to work anymore. He won't need his materials anymore. So if someone just happened to come up and want them…jack pot, right?"

Motaru's eyes widened, "You're the reason he's been having trouble walking…what about me? You going to throw me off the bridge, call it an accident?" Satoru shook his head, "Nothing. I'll need you in the future, so you can live your life however you may like. Just know that no matter how hard you may try…I'll find you." Satoru smiled and walked away, waving his hand over his shoulder, "A woman with no memory at all will be found near the boarders of Tsuchi no Kuni in three days by midmorning. If you want your mother back I would suggest helping your father find a pair of crutches and get moving. No telling what might happen to her."

Motaru felt as if something had released his legs, the boy stood up and dashed off to his home, not even sparing a glare at Satoru. Satoru smirked and entered his owns house, he looked at his crying mother who was sitting alone in their kitchen and turned away. He walked to his room and closed the door behind him. He laid down on his bed, rubbing at his tired eyes, when he heard someone knocking on his door, "What do you want?"

"May I come in, Satoru-kun?" Satoru sighed and sat up, "Odayaka-san, please drop the childish –kun. I have told you that you are allowed to just call me by my first name." Satoru watched his mother slowly open and close his door. The woman sat down on the floor and looked down grimly, "I know, Satoru-kun, but I want us to at least try to act as a family." Satoru shrugged, "What is it?" Odayaka closed her eyes, making it seem as if she were praying, "I don't like doing this, we are tearing this village apart. I can still picture the last one, the people looked as if they were broken. It looked so different from-" "Odayaka-san, pity doesn't work. You know that. And even if you did say something convincing, I will not follow it."

Odayaka nodded, "I know. But I don't like watching one of my sons growing up to be a criminal, you are meant to do so much more than this." Satoru looked down at the woman, "I am not you're son. You found that out ages ago, and yet you try to convince yourself that I am. You know Minato is truly your only son, I am merely a replacement for that dead-born of yours." Odayaka put a hand over her belly, shaking her head from side to side, "No. I am smarter than you think, Satoru. I am your mother; you just don't want to lose another precious person. So you refuse to see the truth."

Odayaka stood up and smiled down at Satoru, "I hope that one day you will come to realize that. If not, someone is bound to be able to show the truth to you. I promise." With that she walked out of the room, leaving Satoru to ponder over her soft words. Satoru bit his lip and curled up in a ball, "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

Satoru tore the blankets off his body and rushed to the bathroom. He dropped to his knees and bent over the bowl of the toilet. He gaged as the meal from the day before was emptied out into the toilet. He spit out the remaining's that lingered in his mouth into the toilet before shakily standing up and flushing the toilet. He rinsed out his mouth before thoroughly brushing his teeth, doing his best not to think about the nightmare. No…the memory.

His bedroom light flickered on, "Satoru, are you okay?" Satoru turned to see his brother walking to him. Concern was written all over his face. Satoru smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine." Minato's brow wrinkled down with worry, "It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me." Minato patted Satoru's shoulder and led him back to his bed, "You know…you can tell me. I am your brother, I wont tell anyone else."

Satoru nodded, "I know…I'm fine." Minato pursed his lips in disappointment, "You never told me about what happened when you and kaa-san left us. Or how you found me, if you killed our parents, how my seals never detect you, or why you didn't attend the Academy. You don't tell me a lot of things. But I still trust you. Why can't you trust me, Satoru?" Satoru stared at the ground, "Minato. I never make promises. And even if I do, I rarely keep them."

Minato tilted his head in confusion, "What does th-" "But I will never break a promise with you. So Minato, I promise that I will explain everything. I promise I will stay with you forever. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to make sure you live the perfect life. I don't want you to live the one I have to. So will you please not ask any questions?" Minato frowned at his brother's words, but he nodded, not liking how his younger brother seemed so small and fragile. "I won't. But…you have to promise that you wont kill yourself."

Satoru smiled, "Of course…" Not. Minato sighed and left the room. Satoru released a breath he had been holding in and pulled his satchel from under his bed. He was definitely not going to be able to catch any sleep for the rest of the night. He might as well make use of the time he had. He pulled out a scroll, ink, and a brush. He looked through his notes and muttered under his breath, "Time travel…huh…"

* * *

"Oi! Naruto, wake up! Naruto!" Satoru frowned and pounded his fist on the wooden door one more time; he boosted his senses with his chakra and searched to see if the boy was in there. There was no chakra signature at all but the obvious scent of metallic copper set Satoru on edge. He kicked the door open swiftly, glad that the two ANBU on guard were the same ones from yesterday, and rushed into the apartment. The whole place was a mess, furniture was tossed about, and any cloth like material had been torn to shreds. Satoru frowned, he would have heard someone if there was this much damage unless…

"Shit!" Satoru dashed out of the wrecked apartment and out into the streets of Konoha. It was still early in the morning, as long as he kept to the shadows and smothered his chakra signature to that of a flea, he wouldn't be noticed. Hopefully. Satoru upped his senses, trying to search for a gathering of chakra signatures…there! Satoru jumped as quickly and as quietly as he could from roof to roof. He reached a darkened alley in between two abandoned buildings where a small group of civilians were ganging up on a blonde child.

Satoru grimaced; he didn't have any weapons and he wasn't sure if he should use is seals or not…they could attract the attention of others or possibly harm Naruto. "If only I had my bag…" He bit his lip and jumped down, landing directly on top of some civilian who was about to land a hit on Naruto. The injured boy gasped in surprise and watched as Satoru positioned himself in front of him. "Hokage's going to be angry if he finds out that you hurt him, I suggest you leave now." The civilians shivered at the cold yet calm tone he spoke in, but they didn't back away.

A man pushed his way to the front and growled out at Satoru, "This damn demon is the reason all of-" Satoru grabbed the man's throat and crushed his windpipe. He smiled at the wide eyes of everyone around him, "Anyone else care to comment?" By then most of the civilians vanished, though one man lingered longer than the others. Satoru looked at the man, noticing the glove he wore on his right hand, and grinned, "Yes?" The man glared before running away, leaving Satoru alone with Naruto.

Satoru quickly kneeled down next to Naruto, looking over he wounds he had received. "We should get to my apartment, I can fix you up there."Naruto nodded, "'Kay…um, Kazama-oji, can you stay with me until I'm…good." Satoru looked at Naruto in surprise, "You don't need to ask. I promise I will stay with you forever. I will make you the greatest ninja. I promise I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you live a perfect life." He turned around and motioned for Naruto to climb onto his back. Naruto wrapped his arms lightly around Satoru's neck and pushed his head into the fabric of his coat, "Thank you." Satoru smiled, but said nothing. He didn't need to, because he got Naruto's trust.

Satoru broke the promise he made to his brother. He wasn't going to let history repeat now that he made one with his brother's son. Satoru listened to Naruto's soft sleeping breaths and sighed, "One day. I will be able to tell both of you the truth."

* * *

AN: God I hate writing anything dealing with violence. Way too difficult for me. Anyways, if that was confusing to you, it was worse for me. I wonder sometimes of how my brain works…sigh. Okay, so if you didn't notice, the two parts after the quote are like flashbacks (are). I'm not sure if I should actually include that in the story or not…maybe it would help…I don't know. So…questions, comments, criticism…yah.

For the question about Minato's names: Minato's becoming the Hokage, it's like painting a target on his head for his enemies. If they know him as Minato, they wont think much of Arashi. Now, I know that kages go out and do public stuff and spy's will easily be able to figure out who a villages kage but having a fake name also helps you make a new one just as easily. (Like…hey I'm on an infiltration mission and some person (like my client) asks for my name and I cant really be standing there thinking for a name so I'm like saying my fake name that I usually use (or one that is related to it…like Arashi is storm so…sea Umi or thunder Kaminari and all)). Get my lingo? No? Well, I also wanted it so that Hiruzen would not only be suspicious of Satoru, but Minato as well. Sorry if that didn't explain anything…

I also apologize for not updating…(I didn't expect people to actually…I don't know…want new chapters continuously…)

Translations:

Occhan: Uncle

Torappu Shōheki: Fūin: Trap Barrier: Sealed

Tsuchi no Kuni: Land of Earth (Where Iwagakure is)

Shiro Senkō: White Flash

Ojii vs. Oji: Gramps vs. Uncle


	7. Chapter 6: An Early Start

The Second Son

AN: I am back! Maybe…

Warning: Language, blood, violence, child abuse.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Any OC belongs to me (as well as the plot for the story).

* * *

Chapter 6: An Early Start

_Time Skip: 3 Years_

'You have got to be kidding me.' Naruto twitched, "How the hell is killing me going to help me become a ninja!? Kami-sama, Ojii-san, please anyone help me!" He wriggled like a worm in his rope bindings. He literally did look like a worm. Though he was positive that worms didn't hang upside down from a tree branch that was ever so slowly breaking. Did he mention that he was handing, upside down, over a pit filled with wooden stakes? Well that may of slipped his mind for a moment.

Naruto eyed the saw wire that was cut almost half way through. He looked back to the bleach haired blond that was slouched against a tree not so far away, calmly reading a brightly covered book. "Baka-oji-san! You're going to be sent to jail for murder! I hope you rot there!" Naruto watched as his uncle gave him an uncaring side-glance before smiling, "I'm sure that we could have a pleasant conversation, but I think you need focus more on the little situation you're in."

Naruto yelled in irritation and anger, when suddenly there was a loud 'Snap!' Time seemed to of froze while Naruto saw his uncles teal eyes blink slowly, "Oh my." And then he was falling-"AHHHH!" Naruto flailed wildly in his seat as he crashed down into the hard wooden floor. "Itai!" Naruto rubbed at the newly forming bump on the back of his head. He blinked blearily as his eyes began to adjust to the sudden change of light.

He then realized that he was being stared at. Naruto grinned sheepishly as he saw his senseis blank face, "I hope that teaches you to never sleep in class while tilting your chair, Uzumaki." Naruto scrambled up from the floor, ignoring the laughter of the many children who were in the room, and pulled his chair back up from the floor before taking a seat. He folded his arms on the table and buried his face in them, desperately trying to hide his blushing face of embarrassment.

"As I was saying-" Naruto was so blaming his uncle for this. That man, sometimes Naruto considered calling him a demon but that was kind of hypocritical of him, didn't even give Naruto a chance to fully recover from the…incident when he had plucked him up from his bed and had begun to train him. Though at first it was more like mental work, "A ninja's mind must first be cultivated before all other aspects are applied." He had said, or something like that. When his uncle was explaining it Naruto hadn't really been paying much attention, he had been to hyped up by the fact that someone was actually going to train him.

Not that it really mattered, cause his uncle practically preached to him a lot of rules and stuff every time he beat him up in a spar. Naruto could write a whole book on which move, jutsu, or combo his uncle used for each small piece of information he educated Naruto in. Such as for the basic ninja rules, his uncle would use a four hit combo of swift kicks and punches. Or for the different villages of the Elemental Nations; Iwa was being pulled underground, Kumo was being electrocuted, Kiri was being trapped in mist, and so on. Naruto found it quite annoying, cause his uncle insisted in having a spar every single morning and late noon. But it worked, which Naruto was happy about.

Naruto wanted to continue his training with his uncle after he graduated, sort of. But his uncle had been ringed in by the old man to take on a genin team, so he knew that if he was put on a different team than his uncles he knew that they wouldn't get that much time together. Also, it was rare for relatives to be put on the same team, as both students or sensei and student. So Naruto wasn't quite sure if he would be on his uncle's team, he did feel sorry for whoever did. His uncle could be a real…uh, slave driver.

How his uncle became a sensei without even being in the ninja ranks, he had no idea. His uncle was persistent in telling him that he wasn't a ninja; he had a move for that too, it was the suplex. Though he had a hunch that the old man had a hand it that, just like how he got a past ANBU member as a sensei. An ANBU member who also happened to be one that had previously watched over his uncle when he was still on the threat list, and had become his uncles friend. Though his uncle insisted that they were just acquaintances.

How small was the world, really? Naruto didn't really get any suspicions until he had 'accidentally' saw his uncle talking with his sensei at some teashop. That was weird, but from there Naruto grew more curious and had begun to use his uncles teachings of evasion and espionage to do his own little research project. He felt guilty at first, but that feeling left him completely when he figured out that it was very difficult finding any information of his uncle. Anywhere.

Naruto gave up after he found out that his uncle used to be on the threat list of Konoha, he's pretty sure that some people still see him as one, and decided to just talk about it with his uncle and old man. He got in so much trouble when confessed of his short-lived project, though his uncle treated him to ramen right afterward with a look of pride on his face. Since then his uncle would treat him to ramen when he could complete an ultimate prank without getting caught.

Naruto snickered quietly to himself and peeked out at his class. His uncle and put him into the Academy after a moth of training. His class was pretty small compared to others and there were only a few clan kids in it. The kids in his class were pretty mature for his age, and they weren't as bad in the whole bullying thing as some other classes. He did have to survive a few moths of name-calling and being completely ignored, but as time went on they had grown into more of a neutral relationship.

He sighed as he watched his sensei pass out their graduation test results from yesterday. His ANBU sensei did things differently; he made the test a whole three-day exam period. The first day was the paper test along with a coded puzzle and a short interrogation. Naruto recalled his results from then, his scoring was average for the paper test, the whole puzzle thing really duped him out, he basically failed it, though for the interrogation he did exceptionally well. It was nothing like torturing people, they were given a word and the interrogator had to try to make you say the word in a certain time limit, though you had to answer all of his questions.

The second day was all the jutsu stuff. You had to perform the three Academy jutsu as well as an additional one, cast and break a genjutsu, perform a chakra controlling technique, and then complete the kenjutsu test. Naruto was glad that his uncle had forced him to learn how to walk up a tree for at least a minute, but his clones still looked like sickly globs and he couldn't cast a genjutsu for his life. The kenjutsu test was pretty easy, just throwing kunai, shuriken, and building a trap.

Today was the physical portion. They had a taijutsu test and then had to go through an obstacle course. Naruto was confident that he would ace this test; the physical portion of the Academy was always easy for him. Not to mention the fact that his uncle had trained him with weights for the past two years, though they were very small. Naruto grinned and waited for his name to be called, he was going to become the greatest ninja ever. If he let a simple Academy test beat him, there was no way he would be able to surpass his father.

* * *

"How did his training go?" Satoru blinked himself out of his daze and looked up at the aged kage who stood above him. Satoru swiftly stood up and fell into a low bow, "I apologize, Hokage-sama, I didn't see you there." The Sarutobi waved his hand, politely dismissing him from his position, "No need to be so stiff, Kazama-kun, I don't mind. I was just curious of your progress." Satoru nodded and sat back down, sorting through the many books that were laid about around him, making room for the kage to sit down. "Training Naruto was far more tiring that I expected. Due to the fact that he is still very young and he…doesn't quite yet trusts me…I had to use methods that would easily gain his attention, keep him enthusiastic about it, and not hurt our relationship."

Hiruzen gave a heavy sigh and settled himself in a crowded spot between all the books, "From what I've seen, and it was obvious to you that I was, Naruto looks up to you almost as if you were his father. What makes you think otherwise?" Satoru heard the concern in the old man's voice. Their relationship was a complex one, they were both guardians of Naruto, they both loved the boy, and they both knew of the care they had for the boy. But both men were still aware of the potential threat the other could pose. "Naruto could be the worlds greatest actor, Hokage-sama. He still wears this mask at times when he feels threatened, and apparently I am more imposing than I believed." Satoru chuckled dryly, "Also, I don't want to replace my brother. Naruto does see Arashi as his father, but he has a difficult time actually connecting with him other than the fact that he was a kage."

Hiruzen nodded, "I see…when you get your genin team, I hope that you will still train Naruto." Satoru grinned wirily, "I really do enjoy teaching science; a pity I wasn't able to teach Naruto's class, but being stuck in a class day after day with children really does have an effect on one's sanity. Though I still have no idea how you were able to get me a position as a genin team sensei. I'm hardly a jounin, far less a ninja." The Hokage laughed out loudly, startling some passer-byers, "They don't know."

Satoru gaped openly at the man, "They are not going to be happy with you." Hiruzen nodded, "I'm sure they will. But this old man wasn't called the Professor for nothing; you aren't the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Now, don't you have a young blonde to pick up?" Satoru shot up from his seat on the floor and in a flurry of movements he had collected the books he needed and had sealed them. He looked in panic at the clock that hung near the library entrance and swore, "I apologize, Hokage-sama, but do you mind putting these books away for me? Thank you!" Without even waiting for the kages answer, Satoru flashed out of the building in a beam of white light. Hiruzen sat there, alone, for a moment before starring at the messy piles of unorganized books. 'Damn all Namikazes and their speed.'

* * *

Naruto swung happily on his swing, a hetai-ate with the Konoha insignia rested gently around his neck. He wasn't quite sue where to put it, he certainly wasn't going to keep it around his neck someone could use it to choke him, but anywhere else seemed to catch too much attention. Also, his uncle would criticize him for putting it somewhere eye-catching. "And here I thought you knew better to put your headband around your neck. Maybe some special traini-" "No!"

Naruto's eyes widened comically at his sudden out burst. His uncle stood in front of him, a smirk in place, and gulped. "I-I mean…I just wanted to wait for your help. 'Cause I couldn't think of where to put it without it being so visible, so I just tied it around my neck to just keep it there for a while. I didn't mean…oh." Naruto blushed at his mumblings and at his uncles humored eyes. "So you passed." Naruto nodded and looked up at his uncle, he could still remember the promises he made to him after he got attacked by a group of civilians. He knew that the Yondaime, his uncle told him that his name was Arashi Kazama, was his father but…he saw Teikiatsu as his dad. Naruto watched his uncle's expressions, joy contradicting anger and sadness. His uncle slowly kneeled down and pulled him into a hug, one that he returned twice as fast.

"Kami, three years ago you were only five. Now look at you, a genin at eight who will soon start going on missions. You'll easily become a chuunin and then jounin just as quickly…I just hope I can be there to watch you." Naruto stuffed his head in the crook of his uncle's neck, trying to hide his tears. "I'll protect you, so you can always be there to watch me. I'll get stronger and then we can be together like a family."

Naruto felt his uncle stiffen and shudder at his words. The action hurt Naruto, but he knew that his uncle had a hard life, maybe an even harder one, from way before they met. It would be obvious to anyone that he had lost precious people along the way and that he was still hesitant to get close to anyone. Naruto let go of his uncle and smiled like the sun, "Come on! We have to celebrate, you promised me ramen when I graduated! Remember?" His uncle laughed, "Okay, okay. Plus, I have a present for you when we get home." Though the two blondes lived in separate apartments, they called it their home. It was easier that way, and it also sounded nicer.

Naruto gasped, "Really!? What, what? Is it a new jutsu? An awesome sword?" Teikiatsu looked amusingly at Naruto, "None. I got you a book." Naruto's face dropped, though with his uncle he had to read a whole lot more than he ever thought he would, he still didn't enjoy the activity. "A book?" Teikiatsu nodded, "A special book." Naruto shivered, his definition of special had changed a lot since he had experienced his uncle's special training. "You better have a lot of money one you. 'Cause I'm gonna eat ramen till you go broke."

Naruto grumpily tugged his uncle all the way to his favorite ramen stand. And since Naruto was always true to his word, he literally did eat as much ramen as Teikiatsu could pay for. They left the stand when the sky began to turn dark with full stomachs and an empty wallet. When they finally reached their apartment building they decided to stay at Teikiatsu's apartment for the night. Naruto burst into his uncles room and jumped on his bed, "So where's my present?" His uncle looked at him skeptically, "I thought you didn't want it. It is a book after all."

Naruto pouted, "I did not! Plus, it's a present and I don't get many…I didn't want you to go through all the trouble to get it just to return it." Teikiatsu smiled and tossed Naruto a wrapped up rectangular shape, "I thank you for the thought, but that book was from a precious person of mine. It didn't really take that long to find it or wrap it up. I'm proud of you for graduating, Naruto." Naruto grinned at his uncle and looked back to his present, barely hearing his uncle's words. "I'm going to shower, so get started on reading. It's a good book."

Naruto silently nodded and carefully unwrapped the book, not wanting to tear the paper even though it was a dull blue. He looked at the worn book, the edges were fraed and there were some small stains here and there, but he could still make out the title. Dokonjo Ninden, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja. Naruto frowned at the odd title, and turned the book around, inspecting it carefully. On the back cover a name was written in small neat characters, but Naruto could tell whom the book used to belong to. He grinned and turned to the first page.

* * *

Satoru ruffled Naruto's bed hair, waking up the bleary eyed boy. "Oi, its not my fault if you don't get a team 'cause you were late." Naruto shot out of bed and ran to the door, only to stop himself when he glanced at a clock. The boy turned and glared at him before holing himself back under a layer of thick blankets, "It's four in the god damn morning. I want sleep." Satoru snorted and hit the blankets where he knew where Naruto's head was, "Language kid. Be glad that I swear too or I would be washing your mouth with soap." Naruto mumbled something that sounded like "Father wouldn't." which made Satoru burst into laughter, "He wouldn't. He would do worse. Now come on Naruto, I wanted to make a good breakfast for you, so get up and wash up or there will be no food for you."

A blob of blankets slowly shuffeled its way off the bed and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him rudely. Satoru smirked, "I already put your extra clothes in there, so hurry up!" He snickered at the tired groans of a response and headed to the kitchen, he had to learn how to make pancakes in a half-hour and if he didn't want to make a mistake he needed to get started now.

Three hours later, Satoru and Naruto found themselves at Ichiraku Ramen, ordering two bowls of the delicious food and eating as quickly as they could so they couls make it to the Academy before eight. "I still can't believe you somehow made an it out of pancake batter. Or that you can't make pancakes and yet are able to cook far more complex foods." Satoru glared at his nephew, "I thought I told you that you weren't allowed to speak of it…ever." Naruto sniffed in annoyance and set down his empty bowl. "Whatever. How the hell you did that, even Kami wouldn't know."

Satoru glared at the blonde, "Like you can even cook. You have no room to belittle my skills." Naruto pouted, "As if you ever taught me. Always saying that you feared for your life." Satoru nodded, glanced at a clock and almost sputtered out all of the broth he was drinking. "Kami must hate us! Teuchi-san, we will pay later but we must be off!" Satoru grabbed Narutos coat collar and the two blondes flashed out of sight. When they reached solid ground, Naruto was holding his belly while his head hung to the side while turning green. "I hate it when you do that…"

Satoru gave a grimaced and roughly pushed Naruto past the Academy gates, "Yeah, you'll just have to get used to it. Now hurry up and don't throw up, don't want to give your new sensei a bad impression. I have to get going anyways…behave." Naruto nodded sickly and walked into the building. Satoru grumbled under his breath and looked at the sun. He guessed he had time to walk over to the kage's office, he didn't feel like spending any more chakra on a jutsu he hadn't mastered yet.

Good thing he didn't use his brothers jutsu, or else he would have surprised a whole lot of jounin who were all crowded in the Hokages office. Satoru took a place in the back, not wanting to catch any attention from the other jounin. Though his relationship with the kage had evened out, and he had also been taken off Konoha's threat list, hardly anyone hid his or her suspicion of him. Satoru caught Hiruzen's gaze and gave him a short nod with his head. The kage smiled kindly and truned his line of sight to the rest of the ninja who were in the room, "Now, I am sure that all of you know why you are in here right now. You have been chosen to become possible senseis of a genin team, if they are able to pass your final test. I hope that all of you know how you are going to be testing your groups, and most of you know whom your fresh genin are. Those who were already informed, you are dismissed, as I need to hand over the genin files to those who don't."

Multiple "Hai" answered the kage and more than three fourths of the ninja had disappeared in their various ways. Satoru looked over the remaining jounin and almost smirked at the old man's cunning plan. Nine other jounin, excluding him, were left in the room. They all were different from the others, and Satoru could tell that the ten of them were chosen specifically for the genin teams that had the most potential of actually becoming teams. The Hokage began calling them all up by their names, Satoru listened carefully just in case if he needed to know them or their teams for any reason.

"Kazama-san? Are you going to receive your team or not?" Satoru looked at the kage in confusion; maybe he wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he thought. He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. Lost in thought." Hiruzen shook his head in amusement, "Here, look through their files carefully so you can plan out a challenging test." Soatru took the files from the Hokages hand and looked through them slowly. He had three boys, which was odd but it was due to the odd number of male children they had in their class.

One Yamanaka Yusei, aged twelve and talented in taijutsu and interrogation. The interrogation wasn't surprising, the Yamanaka Clan practically made up most of the T&I unit. But taijutsu usually wasn't one of their family's strong points. Then he had a Gekido Eien, aged eleven and always seen with a long katana. The boy came from a yakuza family, as such, he was very cool minded and slow to anger despite his name. He had good chakra control and was skilled with weapons. His last genin was-"You can't be serious." Satoru looked at the neutral faced kage, "You are trying to get the council to kill you, aren't you?"

* * *

Blue eyes clashed with gray ones before glancing over to meet the gaze of an orange pair. "Your know…if our sensei has blonde hair and odd eyes, I would say that someone planned this out just in spite of us. 'Cause this is seriously freaky." The two other boys nodded at the younger's statement. They had already introduced themselves to one another, and now they were waiting on their unknown sensei. Naruto laughed out loud when he saw that both of his new teammates had blonde hair. Though Yusei's hair was more of a dull blonde, it matched with his grey eyes, while Eien's hair was a more silvery blonde, which clashed terribly with his orange eyes; they were all still blonde with weird eyes. It was…creepy, but funny. And Naruto had a feeling that if their sensei was just like them, and then they would definitely have to come up with a team name. Because if they didn't they would certainly get a stupid one from some random person; something like Team Blonde or Team Odd Eye. Way to state the obvious.

Naruto looked at the clock, they had been waiting for about half and hour already and he was getting a severe case of boredom. Naruto took out his new favorite book and turned to the page he had left off. It was a bit odd that the character's name was Naruto, but it made him feel good that his name wasn't just because his mother loved ramen.

Naruto didn't get that far into his books when the classroom door slid open and loudly slammed into the wall. All the genin jumped at the offending boom of sound and watched as a man with bleach blonde hair and bright teal eyes walked in. Yusei and Eien snorted at the man, knowing that he would be their sensei. Naruto gaped at his uncle like a fish, "How? I was sure that Ojii-san wouldn't be able to put us on the same team. Not with the old farts all on his hide." Yusei gave Naruto a questioning look, "Naruto, do you know him?"

Naruto nodded with a grin while their new sensei merely smirked, "I sure do! Meet Kazama Teikiatsu, my uncle!"

* * *

"They weren't supposed to be placed on the same team. The brat wasn't even supposed to graduate until the Uchiha were-" "Don't you think I know that? I was the one who made the palns." The man flinched back in surprise, "Forgive my rudeness, Danzo-sama. I was just surprised by the sudden change in our plans." Danzo sighed and waved off the man, dismissing him silently. He hated the way the man spoke, like he was planning a whole scheme against his own village.

Danzo rubbed at the bridge of his nose and gritted his teeth. "Damned man planned this all." He turned to his desk and pulled out a scroll from one of his many drawers. He slid it open and looked over its contents. He bit his thumb and placed his hand on the summoning diagram, channeling a short burst of chakra into the scroll. The space around his hand was soon filled with a puff of white smoke. A deformed looking white cat curled itself around his hand, making Danzo cringe at the contact but dared not pull away. "Tell you summoner that I will see to his offer. Though I still want half of the contract to be fulfilled." The cat nodded and vanished into the dark. Danzo rolled up the scroll and locked it away. Konoha was his home; he would protect it.

* * *

AN: Who made fluff or humor, they have to teach me about it 'cause I am so not good at all of that happy stuff (That makes me sound like a reclusive hermit). Ah, so I disappeared for a long while. I send my apologies. Hope you enjoyed…yeah.


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